A Sith Story: A War for the Stars

{no pictures} 

Moments before the death of the other two troopers in the medical bay: location, barracks 

[what is this?] said one trooper to another 

[I…don't know…] replied the trooper 

[is it dead?] question the other trooper 

[I… think so…at least… my scanner isn't showing any life signs…maybe it just died?] replied the trooper. 

[umm… have you seen this type of alien species before?] asked the other trooper 

[No… and I can't find it on the registered species list… maybe these scavengers found more they let on… maybe a new world?] replied the trooper. 

[now that I doubt… if anything these scavengers probably found an injured 'creature' and brought it back on the ship… thinking it was worth something… but, then later it died from its injuries... I think that is a more believable story...] replied the other trooper 

[true... But then… why is it here in the barracks and not in the medical bay? Wouldn't it make more sense to keep it there…] replied the trooper to the other. 

[that… well… there could be any number of reasons, anyway, why don't you report this to Command… while I keep studying our friend here…] replied the trooper 

With a nod, the trooper went to report their findings, when the other troopers examined the body closer… and as he touched and prodded, he felt sick and nauseated at the corpse… for the corpse was shivered up and cold, but yet filled with burned marks and smelled of fresh sulfur… 

[what happened to you…] said the trooper to himself as he got on one knee and looked into the alien dead eyes. 

But while he continued to examine, the vicious waters slowly increased to their upper thighs! But paying it no mind, the trooper placed his hand on the burn marks on the alien and said: 

[whatever happened to you… must have been painful…] 

But while he talked to himself, the other trooper turned to him and said: 

[command, said to mark it, and that we are to retrieve it later once we're done here…] 

[All alright but let me take a skin sample first… after all, I don't want this unknown water here to contaminate the body, then to later hear, 'How come you guys didn't take a sample for the lab techs before it got filled with unknown water!' Or something to the like....] 

With another head nod in acknowledgment, the trooper turned to take the skin sample, when the eyes of the dead alien looked right into his! 

[ah!] screamed the trooper 

[what! What happened?] asked his partner 

[ha... Nothing it just… I could have sworn the corpse just moved its eyes…] replied the trooper! 

[ha! Really! Bro! I think you… need to take a vacation already... I told you too many days out in space isn't good for anyone! Now you're starting to hallucinate!] 

[yeah… I think you're right… I'll ask for the time off after this mission…] replied the trooper as he continued to take the sample. 

But as the trooper took the sample, the corpse suddenly shifted and fell deep into the black water! 

With the sudden splash, the trooper said: 

[ah! Damnit! When did the water get this high?] called out the trooper in annoyance. 

[beats me… maybe the leak on the ship got worse?] replied the trooper partner 

[yeah... Thats the reason…] replied the trooper with an eye roll 

[hey... It was just a joke…] replied the partner 

[yeah. Yeah... Anyway let's get out of here and find the cap!] replied the trooper while waving his hand. 

And with those thoughts that they shared with a nod; they heard the sound of blaster fire! With a quick head turn, they called over their comms… but received no reply… even command couldn't reach them! 

And so, with the inability to talk to anyone but themselves, the pair raced to the doors only for them to close shut! 

[what's going on!] yelled the partner 

[I don't know! But just help me get this door open!] yelled back the trooper. 

But as they reached for the door panel, the light flickered, while they heard a noise through their earpiece…first, it was hard to tell what it was through all the static... But as they listened closer… they heard it! The sounds of screams! Screams that turned into the echos of coking blood! 

Hearing the sounds of their friends coking on their own blood, the partner screamed: 

[hurry up! Get this door open!!] as he looked down to see the water rising even higher! 

[you think I don't know that! I'm trying my best! But the door… something wrong…] 

With banging and panic, they fought with the door, but the echoing in their ears would not cease… it was like someone hit the repeat button over and over again… fed up with the door, they began to fire at it until their blaster ran hot! It was then… in between the blaster fire… that the echoing noise stopped…but with its stop, came the eerie quiet…An eerie quiet that was broken by a subtle splash! A subtle splash that came… from right behind them! 

With a cold shiver, the pair turned around to see a tall burning claw rise out of the water! A claw that touched the water as if it was a solid! As if the water could not quench its pain… its fire! And with a pull… the rest of the alien rose out! With shoot breath… the alien screeched! 

The frightened pair could see its skin and flesh… its bones and sulfur-est feathers! The smell through their helmets curled their noses… while their eyes were hypothesized by the alien's deep reddish orange pupils! A vulture coated in black and fire! Where the light emphasized its bleeding wounds… its scars… 

And with a roaring fire at its core, the alien consumed the two troopers in a blazing fire, that was amplified by the black liquid that drenched their bodies! And while they hoped for a quick death… Lucifron denied it! As he watched with a grin, as he felt through the force the men suffering! While he smelled their burning husk through his servant! 

He enjoyed the sight… as he watched through the force from his throne seat on the bridge… where he faced where the stars should be… there he looked through the halls of the ship, as his eyes landed at the center of a star… there he envisioned a 'pasting' scene… one that only fueled his rage further… 

One that caused him to grasp his knuckles red… it was then, that his vision swapped back to the two men, as their armor fused to their bodies! And through the pain, they felt a crushing force come from within the fire! And with a pop, the two troopers exploded under its weight! 

With the sound of blaster fire, and the smell of rot… with water on the rise, the team leader raced to the rooms! But with waist-deep waters and the consent screaming in his ears, he lost sight of his footing and tripped into the water! 

Panicking, he quickly got up only to find his flashlight flickering on and off… in a hallway filled with black water and the smell of burnt meat following the fog… with nervous sweat, he began to hear noises in the water… to see bubbles…like breathing just under its surface… then out of nowhere, the screaming return to his earpiece in a piercing chorus! 

Having enough of the sound, the captain tore out his earpiece and tossed it into the waters below… when silence returned…he tossed and turned with his finger never leaving the blaster… too nervous to call out… the captain slowly began to walk back, hoping to reach the exit… 

But when he did… he found the exit to be gone! Nothing but a dead end… then above him… in the speakers… the sounds of his team screams played again! Like a horrific drumbeat… 

[what's going on!] yelled the captain in a frantic. While he punched the dead end with enough force to break a few fingers! 

To his words, red eyes that followed the sound of a bird in pain echoed throughout the halls! 

Scared the captain turned around, as black feathers floated on the waves… with a heartbeat racing, it came… diseased and plagued with sores… with chemical burns… a hooded figure who could not hide its broken wings, appeared over a flashing red light! With eyes to match, the creature raised its bone hands! Silencing the speakers… only for them to play a different tune… one of coughing and gaging… of crying and begging… 

Terror-stricken… the captain yelled with all his might… Hoping someone would hear…. 

 {Sink the ship! Sink her!] yelled the captain over and over again, as he fired his blaster without care! 

But as the laser hit the alien…they did nothing! For how could they stop the heart of a corpse? But even when seeing round after round hit the alien, and it doing nothing! The captain continued to fire until the gun melted from overuse! With his main weapon broken, the captain quickly swapped to his sidearm, as he let the waters take his broken gun. 

As it sunk, the captain looked up to see the alien getting closer… and closer… while the screaming in the speaker got louder and louder! While hundreds of feathers flew in many directions both from the water and the air! 

When the alien was but arm reached away, the captain tossed his sidearm at the alien face and pulled out a grenade! 

[ha… I'm not dying alone! You freak!] yelled back the captain as his finger was a hair press away from the button. 

but the moment those words left his mouth, he noticed the monster lower its arm, it simply stared at him… excited that his threat might have worked, the captain was about to say something cheeky when he heard it… the sound of a burning blade! 

Slowly turning around, a burning saber cut off his arm that held the bomb! With a scream, a claw hand grabbed him by the throat! And lifted him up to his face! 

{so... Human… didn't you come all this way to find the bridge? How did you like our hospitality? Was it to your liking? HA!} said Lucifron with a conniving smile, as he increased his grip on the man's throat. 

With a look of surprise on the barely conscious man, Lucifron continued: 

{foolish humans… your minds are so weak!} 

Hearing Lucifron's words, the captain looked around him and noticed that the dead end… was never a dead end! But a door! And a door that never leads to the outside! But to the bridge! 

{yes... Thats it! I love that look… you, humans, trust your senses too much… you never even noticed…} said Lucifron with excitement… 

Understanding the subtext and the deeper meaning behind this creature's words… sent a renewed shiver down the man! 

{Oh! Yes… the smell of fear! I do so much love it! Oh, and don't worry… I won't kill you…} continued Lucifron 

But those words didn't bring a single bit of solace to the captain's mind! He then began to struggle with what strength he could, when suddenly Lucifron tossed the man! Feeling weightless the man fell into the arms of the hooded alien! And with a blink, he opened his eyes to faces covered in holes and maggots! 

With a horrifying screech, the alien breathes into the man's lungs! And letting him fall onto the cold steel floor! Getting up the man felt his lungs on fire! but as he looked for water to drink, he noticed all the water from earlier was gone! Panicking the man screamed: 

[what did you do to me!] 

Only for tears of blood to start oozing from his eyes! While at the same time, coughing out huge amounts of blood! The captain screamed as he felt his innards burning and his outer flesh melting! He could feel as if something was crawling inside him! 

Falling to the floor again, the man felt severe pain, as bugs ate their way out of his severed arm! And while he wailed in pain… the last thing that he saw before his eye was plucked out by a bug. Was the sight of five vultures more ugly than the last…