Post by Nyx on May 12, 2013 18:27:02 GMT -5
Appearance
Description: Nyx's haunting silhouette can be attributed to her extensive cybernetics. As Nyx's powers were experimented with, and all control was lost the angel's blight began to effect her own body. After rampant, uncontrollable mutations Nyx's legs were lost. Their replacements were a series of cybernetic limbs. The mechanical spider limbs makes Nyx ooze lethality. Her movement are signaled by the clicks of metal as she glides round with a ghostly grace that can't be matched by two legs. She often covers the join between what is left of her natural body and the spider armature with a dress. As for her natural body it is lythe, very little muscle suggests some starvation during her time as an imperial labrat. Her porclean skin is marred by scars, both from her former captors as well as self inflicted surgery.
The cybernetics don't end with her legs. Light armor is a permanent feature of the girl, as it houses many direct connections to her body, all designed to keep her powers in check. As a result her body is often accompanied by the ghostly green glow of her machinery working. The armor is patchwork, the original imperial machinery augmented or replaced with the limited resources at Nyx's fingertips, giving it a patchwork appearance. Her cybernetic hands have obviously come from Nyx's own designs rather then imperial. They have an entirely different quality to their manufacture, rather then efficient and necessarily replacement they seemed to be designed for cruelty alone.
Nyx's face is a colorless palette, between her porcelain skin, a product of most of her life being either in a ship or on a cell. Her hair is kept long, usually tied behind her head or simply brushed out of the way. It is dyed bright green. The only dots of natural color are two vibrant green eyes. These two dots of color in her pale face are always darting back and fourth from detail to detail, even in a conversation she's looking for nervous habits or signs of any motives the person she's talking to has and rarely gives the person direct eye contact. Her preference in dress can be seen in her makeup, often wearing dark eye shadow or lipstick.
Other: She sometimes wears a helmet/respirator in harsher environments, the helmet has multiple lenses, often being refereed to as the glowing green eyes of a spider.
Basic Information
Name: Nyx Darothmir
Age: 26
Gender: female
Race: Mechanoid, formerly human, galactic angel of death
Height: 5'4
Weight: 178 due to extensive cybernetics
Homeworld:
Languages: Galactic Common, Binary, understands some Gral’Varr despite not being able to speak it
Sexuality: bisexual, strong preference towards other women
Relationship Status: Single
Faction: Rogue
Occupation: Scientist, torturer, anarchist.
Skills
- Intellect level 3
- First Aid level 3
- Cybernetics level 3
- Herblore level 3
Total level 3 points; 24 - Special Weapons level 2
- Reflexes level 2
- Security level 2
- Submachineguns level 2
- Rifle level 2
Total level 2 points; 15 - Stealth level 1
- Speed level 1
- Speechcraft level 1
- Demolitions level 1
- Tactics level 1
Total level 1 points; 5
Magic/Abilities
- Wound
- Last Cry
Total level 1 points; 2
level 2 spells - Breath of Unlife
- Catalyst
- Witchfire
- Doombolt
Total level 1 points; 12
level 3 spells - Summon Corpse
- Blight
level 3 points; 12
Custom spells
Name: Last Cry
Classification: Necromancy
Level: 1
Strengths: Deafening cry, causes fear of the caster
Weaknesses: Negiligible bodily harm, might cause long term hearing damage
Duration: 1 minute, varies depending on target
Description: This spell invokes the power of the voice. The caster opens his/her mouth, letting out a pained but angry scream. All of those in the area are affected with fear for 1 minute, even your allies. Due to the magical nature of this fear, bravery has only a partial effect in reducing it's length.
Name: Breath of Unlife
Classification: Necromancy
Level: 2
Strengths: Increase the lifespan of undead
Weaknesses: Drains the user of energy, in this case Nyx's life
Duration: Infinite.
Description: Being the angel of death has granted Nyx a certain affinity with her undead pets. If an risen corpse happens to be useful, or necessarily, Nyx can pour her own life force into it's body, extending it's unnatural lifespan. This has been useful for keeping a risen body until she can convert it into a aggressor, or to keep one reanimated. While the duration has no defined length of time it requires constant upkeep.
Name: Catalyst
Classification: Necromancy
Level: 2
Strengths: Frenzies the undead, causing them to focus their attach on a target of the caster's choice.
Weaknesses: Effects all undead friend or foe, any talents posessed by the risen are lost.
Duration: 5 minutes
Description: Rather then calm the undead Nyx only seems capable of incurring their wrath. Casting Catalyst on a target will cause all nearby undead to focus on the target, friend or foe. However they lose what ever mental capacity that they possessed. Even the aggressors, armed with ranged weapons, will simply empty their clips as they attempt to close before ripping into their prey with tooth and nail.
Name: Witchfire
Classification: Necromancy
Level: 2
Strengths: Causes Necrotic damage in a cone area of effect.
Weaknesses: Limited range, does not effect undead
Duration: a few seconds
Description: Ashford main tool for using magic. She employs it liberally when her claws aren't an option and often enjoys watching others burn with her usual sadistic glee. Despite the necrotic energy taking the appearance of fire, it's green coloration gives away the nature of the magic. The spell seems to lack constancy on how it's conjured, sometimes it is conjured from Nyx's hands, other times she breathes the unnatural flames.
Name: Doombolt
Classification: Necromancy
Level: 2
Strengths: Single target, long range necrotic damage, variable damge depending on caster's preference
Weaknesses: For more damage, the caster suffers more feedback, needs to be precisely aimed
Duration: n/a
Description: Nyx conjures pure death energy that she hurls at enemies. These bolts simply smash into enemies before bursting in a corona of magical energy that disolves flesh and bone. Nyx is easily able to control the intensity of the bolts, from as mild as to cause intense pain but no bodily damage, to something that can cause grievous wounds. The caster can also make these bolts burst on contact, giving them an blast radius, but at the cost of it's intensity. The more powerful the bolt the longer it takes to cast, that and the more she suffers due to backlash.
Name: Blight
Classification: Necromancy
Level: 3
Strengths: Causes damage, and reanimation of nearby living things, causes mutation of nearby undead.
Weaknesses: No discrimination between friend or foe, responds to emotions and thus difficult to control, causes heavy feedback due to effecting Nyx.
Duration: Unlimited
Description: Nyx's angelic power twisted and warped beyond recognition is the source of the blight spell. Not as much as an actual spell rather then letting her armor release the energy of defiled angel of death. Thanks to her cybernetics Nyx's blight no longer effects her own body. But when she lets the safeguards go everything near Nyx begins to rot and die. Plants wither and die, food and drink spoils in seconds, and those unfortunates within the effect begin to suffer lacerations not unlike Nyx's feedback. Black, corrupt blood begins to pour from lacerations all over their body. Those that die under the blight's influence are charged with necrotic energy, and will rise as a mindless zombie outside of Nyx's control aside from use of Catylist. Nyx is unable to extend these zombie's lifespans, once the blight ends, the zombies fall back to the ground as a dead body. The more safeguards that are released the greater the radius, but the larger toll of feedback that it takes on Nyx, causing her to suffer even more as she's effected by her own powers.
The blight responds to Nyx's emotions, heightened states of anger or rage can overwhelm even all of the safeguards, and can cause minor effects of the blight to Nyx and those around her.
Other - Feedback; Because Nyx's necrotic powers are directly tied to her angelic abilities, the experiments performed by the imperials increased her power, she also has no control over them. Only the cybernetics implanted within her keep them within control. While her body surges with unnatural power, it also takes a toll on her body. The more she taps into her abilities the more damage she causes to herself. After extended casting she begins to bleed her blackened blood from the eyes and corners of the mouth, if she continues to push herself lacerations will open on her arms, suffering more and more blood loss. Theoretically she can kill herself with her own abilities, though she will more likely fall faint from blood loss before she could bleed herself dry.
- Queen of the dead; Nyx is the angel of death, and thus undead that aren't bound to the will of a caster see her as one of their kin. While she is unable to command them without a proper binding, they will not savagely attack her like they do with the living.
Inventory
Weapon(s):
- Nanothorn Claws; Nyx's organic hands have long since been removed. Self inflicted surgery has seen them replaced at the forearm with a wicket set of clawed cybernetics fitted with far too many syringe-like spines and serum-filled vials, canisters of vile toxins are stored within the forearm and cycle out at Nyx's will, the girl having full control over the dispensing of the vile toxins coating the blades, allowing her to perform even the most delicate of procedures despite the blades.
Nyx's hands conceal Nanothorn blades that extend from the fingers, turning her hands into a wicked set of claws in a heartbeat. Nanothorn blades use branching monomolecular needles. The nano structures that fit into and rip apart intermolecular bonds. The edge of such a weapon appears to be a slight sinister haze, and matter in contact with the very edge of the blade appears to disintegrate. Giving her claws similar cutting power to monomolecular blades despite not making use of traditional plasma energy, the effect against flesh and blood targets is distinctly more sadistic and causes more grievous wounds. - Spider Armature; Nyx's legs to form a weapon, while not the most practical for regular strikes, they do make a gruesome weapon when she pounces onto a helpless target to drive them to the ground. Using their sharpened ends and Nyx's weight to impale or incapacitate her victims.
- Surgical Implements; Nyx possesses a horrifying array of scalpels, blades, and needles. All for the purpose of ripping apart whatever unfortunate victim suffers the fate of being her next patient. These implements also take the form of two mechanical arms that can attach to her back. Long and spindly they are hardly robust enough to effectively party determined strikes. However their modular natures allows for them to carry an extremely varied array of hissing claws, needles and other nightmarish implements.
- Shard Carbine, model 67 "blaster" variant; Splinter weapons fire shards of splintered crystal using a powerful magnetic pulse. While lacking the power to punch through armor, shard weapons are horrifically effective against thin skinned targets. These shards are covered in incredibly virulent and fast-acting toxins that can ensure a painful death or incapacitate a would-be slave. Most traditional armies reject shard weapons due to their lack of armor penetration. Only used by the most sadistic of pirates and cutthroats, Nyx has found an affinity for the shortened and rapid fire shard carbine, a rapid fire smg variant of the shard technology designed to be used in close quarters. Nyx has obviously become enthralled by the distorted grimaces of agony that their weapon infliction. The jagged fragments rip and tear apart their target as it passes through their body, ensuring a painful wounds even before the toxins take hold of the target.
- Dark Lance Harpoon Rifle;Another weapon more often seen in the hands of pirates and slavers, and thus Nyx was easily able to get a hold of it. A heavy sniper that uses particle accelerators similar to shard weaponry. However the crystaline shards can't take the high velocity, so the dark lance fires long, metallic serrated spears. While lacking hitting power against harder targets when compared to similar heavy snipers, the Dark Lance can cause devastating wounds against living targets. However the Dark Lance needs to be reloaded after every shot, and the harpoons it fires are significantly bulkier then magazines or power packs used by more traditional weapons. The heavy sniper rifle is often chosen by Nyx when she won't be able to dispatch her target up close. The weight and recoil of the weapon is unpleasant, even despite it's many stabilizing systems. Nyx takes it in the face of heavy resistance and when she isn't expecting to keep a intact corpse to resurrect. So far it's been found to be quite useful in putting down rampaging experiments.
- Grenades;Nyx makes use of several grenades when fighting in close quarters. They vary in type and design, but many are created or at least modified by her for their desired effect. Many are also used on booby trap triggers as Nyx is not above using guerilla tatics.
- Blight grenades; Nyx's own concoction of various synthesized toxins for an anti infantry role.
- Choke grenades; Exactly the same as the blight grenades, but rather then lethal toxins they're filled with non lethal concoctions such as tear gas.
- Anti infantry cluster grenades; for when hazmat gear prevents her from using the blight grenades. These are often found in many arsenals of various lowlives. They fragment in mid air into small explosives that scatter for a larger area of effect. They lack high explosive power, and instead are designed for maximized shrapnel to shred unarmored infantry.
- Hallucinogen grenades; A personal favorite, rather then lethal toxins in found in the blight grenades. These are full of fast acting psychotropic drugs meant to invoke mind shredding hallucination and nightmarish visions. Meant to disorient and sow confusion among prey.
- Blight grenades; Nyx's own concoction of various synthesized toxins for an anti infantry role.
Apparel: For Nyx her armored appearance is a necessity. The machinery that covers Nyx's body serves to keep her blight in check. Without it her powers would spiral out of control, killing and even reanimating the bodies of those around her. Even when she is not in combat she wears her chest piece. Metalic armor has several connections deep into her body, techno arcana of imperial design meant to harness or non violently disperse the magic within her. Two couls extend from her back, during times of heightened emotions, often anger, they usually cackle and glow with energy to be dispersed. Two mechanical arms can be attached which spider out from her back, usually tipped with some wicked form of surgical instrument. Various jars and canisters of poisons and potions of her own developing jingle from her belt, as well as sample canisters and various other surgical instruments.
Nyx often prefers to keep her mechanical legs covered best that she can. With her spider limbs the only option that she has is a dress. Her preferred style is often dark and ornamented. She often doesn't have the luxury, her demented work not taking her to places where she can acquire anything of fine quality although she is not above stealing.
Starship(s): Various pirate corsairs commissioned or hijacked, usually not kept for long.
Vehicle(s): none
Other:
- The Risen
zonewarz.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=monstermaker&action=display&thread=370&page=1 - Blight cells; attached to her cybernetics are several power cells that glow with the same energy that both her body and her powers share. The blight cells are devices of Nyx's own creation, imperial technicians looking to use the angel of death as a weapon of imperial superiority thought of turning the blight into a form of weaponry, but only Nyx perfected a way to store her own power. Tapping into the devices meant to disperse the blight safely the cells instead contain and store the necrotic energy. The elderich battery has their uses for powering Nyx's creations, most common are the aggressors. Through the use of the cells they can be steadily fed Necrotic energy, with the proper accouterments this allows for cybernetically altered aggressors to stay animated for extended periods of time despite being reanimated corpses.
Personality
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Likes:
- Artifacts/Lost technology
- Revenge
- Bloodshed/opperations
- Her undead
- Having power over others
- Stimms or alcohol
- Wealth
Dislikes:
- The Empire
- Fair Fight
- The Law
- Being told what to do
- Reminded she's not human
Description: Nyx is obviously a woman much more accustomed to the lab then a social gathering. More familiar with the blinking lights of a computer screen or the souless moans or binary screeches of her undead pets. It becomes quite obvious when she speaks to others. Most people just see her as creepy, and often she will go too far in casual conversation, talking about some of the more gruesome aspects of her dark work as if it was casual conversation. Possessing a low cunning Nyx is very sly when it comes to both the command of others as well as commerce and forging a deal. She usually plays the silent observer, watching and waiting for her moment rather then being the center of attention. The empire easily stokes her temper, but she is more then willing to keep it in check rather then fall on deaf ears.
Of course it's all a thin mask of civility and control that allows for her to be tolerated by the low lives that she has business arrangements with. To put it short, Nyx is a bloodthirsty, psychotic, hate filled woman and her torture at the hands of the empire really doesn't help this notion. Experimentation by the imperials and years of living in a well prepared cell, and tortuous, invasive surgery has left her a bitter husk. Her anger is what keeps her alive, and makes her cross almost any moral barrier when it comes to combat or her research. Nyx is obsessed with revenge on the imperium that stripped her life away from her, her guardian, her powers, her humanity.
The later seems to be a key source to her embittered state of mind. Nyx is very quick to voice her hatred for the empire, wanting to bring it crashing down into the fires of anarchy. The imperial doctrine drilled into her has convinced her that she is no longer human. She feels detached from those around her, and there are very few that she can call friends, or even allies of convince. Unfortunately for Nyx, alliances are necessarily. She often deals with pirates and cutthroats, often sharing a common enemy in the imperium and their type is one of the few willing to put up with the more gruesome nature of Nyx's work. Nonetheless there are almost non that she wouldn't sell down the river the second they are no longer useful.
Nyx is obsessed with her sadistic work. Both the intense study of the necromantic arts, as well as any links to her angelic past. Nyx often spends her free time creating or enhancing her latest undead monstrosity. But she is not above the more baser pleasures in life, alcohol, drugs, she is a woman of little to no morals. She found an easy way to make some extra money is to synthesize various stimms or drug cocktails. To her power is the key to her revenge, and being able to reclaim every shred of her angelic abilities will allow for her to rip apart the empire that she so despises. One of her obsessions is any links to her past lives, any evidence, or even rumors of a previous angel of death can cause Nyx to drop everything in it's pursuit.
Nyx is a master torturer, taking it up as almost a hobby as she seems quite eager to rip and tear into her hapless victims with her surgical instruments. Sometimes urges overcome her to rip and tear into those around her, the complete opposite of the mask of civility she tries to show. Nyx takes sick pleasure in the suffering that she causes, and it's only the sweeter if it's some imperial lapdog. The lives of others mean next to nothing to her, and any horrors that she has witnessed and even committed have yet to leave her with a guilty conscience.
BIOGRAPHY
Born to the head of a small merchant dynasty, Nyx was named after the void that she was born into. The Darothmirs made their living trading in the few stations in the uncharted space, owning a small flotilla of merchant vessels. Their life was far from one of poverty. Daring to venture to the multiple human colonies on the edge of uncharted space gave them very little competition. Biomedical supplies were in constant need and precious, which brought wealth to the merchant family. Little did they know that their daughter's fate was sealed once they're route brought them close the Necra. Unknown to the Darothmirs on the planet imperial forces were locked in a struggle with the undead nightmares across the world. The previous angel of death breathed her last mere moments before Nyx was born.Nyx had no clue as to what she was, neither did her parents. She spent most of her childhood aboard one of the merchant vessels with her parents as they moved from planet to planet. And the Darothmirs spoiled their child, making sure that Nyx had the best that they could possibly provide. Her quarters in the ship were lavished with the best they could possibly provide, and they usually wouldn't be able to resist when she asked for something they want. It seemed as this was the Darothmirs trying to ease their daughter's lonely life. Nyx's sheltered upbringing caused her to never be with any other children her age. The closest were the workers that couldn't get past a nervous air, they would always see Nyx as "the boss's kid." As she began to mature Nyx became haunted by terrible nightmares, twisted undead creatures haunted her dreams. But as the years passed by Nyx found that these creatures weren't stalking her... they wanted to serve her.
Nyx's loneliness would end when she met Saeris. A strange woman who had seemingly come out of nowhere, and signed up for the crew as a medical officer. She had ignored the stigma of untouchable daughter, and took an immediate interest in the 13 year old Nyx. The second that Nyx mentioned her nightmare that became the topic of their conversation Saeris's interest piqued, it often becoming a topic of conversation. Saeris became Nyx's only friend, and her parents took notice of this quickly taking on Saeris as the girl's governess. As she aged her nightmares were growing worse and worse, more vivid, at times she would be commuting gruesome acts on innocents, other times she was surrounded by a kingdom of the dead built around her. But the comfort of Saeris made it much easier to bear. Nyx began to study for the medical tech industry, looking to inherit the trading empire and taking after Saeris in her chosen path in life. A natural study and a cunning girl, Nyx would have a promising future.
Nyx would learn what she really was due to the barrel of a gun. When pirate raiders cut their way through the vessel's hull and began to loot and pillage, a 18 year old Nyx was alone. Cut off from her parents, Saeris, any of the living crew members. Who knew what fate the pirates had in mind for the young barroness. Cornered, scared, she only remembers closing her eyes and the screams of the pirates as witch fire ripped from her body, incinerating their bodies in an instant. A still terrified Nyx was found surrounded by the torched bodies of the pirates by Saeris, the woman's skill with a blade having dispatched a score of the raiders one by one.
After this incident many questions were asked, concern was clear to see with Nyx's parents. One night Saeris spoke to Nyx, in secrecy and alone to ensure that no one would overhear. She knew what Nyx was, the incident with the raiders had confirmed her suspicions. Nyx was the galactic angel of death, the haunting dreams were memories of past lives returning to her. As for Saeris, she had served the guardian of the previous angel, Saeris and her master had failed on Necra but would protect her new ward until the new guardian was ready to accept her charge. Saeris guided Nyx, helping her to hone her necromancy in secret, away from her parents or any prying eyes.
But the incident with the pirates brought unwanted attention, what at first was an investigation into the forbidden use of magic became the discovery of what Nyx was. A routine imperial patrol became an ambush. An empire killteam boarded the vessel instead of an investigation crew. They didn't hesitate to size the Darothmir's ship, their property, and Nyx's parents were put in handcuffs. Nyx was the one they wanted, the girl using her powers to hold them off, but it was a losing battle. Saeris fought bravely, dragging several of the killteam members down with her. While she had sacrificed herself to give Nyx a chance of escaping, unfortunately it was all for nothing.
Nyx was dragged away into a dark portion of the empire, an orbital facility far from prying eyes that had been built to house the angel since her predecessor fell within the empire's cross hair. The empire wanted to use Nyx, tap into the angel of death's power to aid their conquest of the galaxy. For 6 years she was subject to invasive experiments, all in an attempt to augment her powers. Experimental cybernetics were forced upon her, both meant to contain and control the girl who had no hesitation with murdering and resurrecting her jailers. She would eventually lose control of her magic, creating the spell of the blight, uncontrollable magic inhabiting her body and causing all around her to die in horrible pain. That was how Nyx lost her legs, replaced by the cybernetics after her own body succumbing to the blight as her legs were consumed by twisting mutations.
The years passed by, and more and more torturous experiments were performed on the helpless Nyx. Worst of all she understood what was being done to her. Time didn't break her, instead it only goaded her fury. She became the bitter and hateful woman that she is now, a demented madwoman that would lunge at any opportunity for revenge. Her chance came when she was 24. Maybe it was sabotage by rebel sympathizers, a lab tech taking pity on Nyx, or maybe a mistake. But the girl's rage was able to overwhelm the containment devices. Nyx turned her newly freed magic upon the imperial researchers, and the guards were rapidly ripped to shreds by a tide of undead horrors.
Nyx escaped the facility, watching from a stolen craft with psychotic glee as it plummeted from orbit to crash down. Nyx had taken the time to loot the facility, taking what research she could understand, before making sure that no one would be able to pick off where the imperials left off. But she couldn't help but be drawn to the same knowledge that her captors were seeking. Hatred grew into a lust for power, destroying her prison wasn't enough, she wanted to set the whole empire ablaze in the fires of anarchy for what they dared to do to her. The fallen angel quickly melted away into the underbelly of the galaxy. And Nyx now seeks any link to her past lives, necromancy or forbidden or lost technology, anything that can help her get her glorious revenge.
ROLEPLAY SAMPLE
"Stay alive... stay... alive."
The lone figure shuffled through the ankle deep snow. The blistering wind and snow whipping his face forced him to keep an arm up over his face for what little protection it could afford, silhouetting his face as blinking conometer on the readout on his arm flashed 22:42. His short shaved hair was already flecked with snow, blood trickled in a sickly stream from a cut on his forehead that openly bled. Hayes's face was deathly pale, both the freezing cold and the blood loss. The arm hanging his side, desperately gripping a small tightly wrapped bundle, whatever it was it was precious enough to keep away from that monster. Open wounds were staining his Imperial Uniform a dark crimson. The armor on his torso and legs were the only things complete. His armor was damaged, pitted and gouged where crystalline fragments broken off where they punctured the armor. He moved through the snowstorm, a few flaming pieces of wreckage around him Hayes moved away from them. The blinking beacon on his body was his only hope at this point, he could only hope that someone was close enough to get the distress signal. He looked back to the flaming wreckage of the corsair, what little he could see in the blizzard. Despite the numbing cold, a spear of ice lanced through him when he saw the hellish figure silhouetted against the flames, like a child’s nightmare cruel claws and two spindly limbs extended over her shoulders, all of them were ready to cut him down, a dozen green lenses glowed in the snow blind as she spoke…
"You have something I want."
The cronometer on Haye's hud blinked 21:29, set to the local time of the deserted icy ball below. It was one of the few distractions while he was counting the minutes while the engineers worked. The helmet automatically darkened to protect his eyes while the crew cut through the hull of the ship. The docking umbilical would keep them safe from the vacuum, and the technical readout said that the ship that laid beyond still had atmosphere. Vulture's talon, that was the name of the ships corpse that they were supposed to investigate. Hayes had been stuck on this assignment for months now, imperial patrols trying to keep pirating to a minimum on the edge of imperial space. It was an unrewarding assignment to say the least, most pirates ducked out long before the imperial cruisers could show up with the big guns, leaving nothing but a distressed merchant ghost ship drifting in space. That left smaller boarding crews in gunboats operating far away from the capital ships as investigators to finds like this, exactly why Hayes was here. This was an interesting find, one of the pirate's vessel was the one left adrift with a distress signal left on. Chances are this was the result on pirate turning on pirate, eliminating competition or business partners turning against one another saving the best picking for them self. Most of his boarding actions were merchant vessels picked clean, Imperial crews just like Haye's were sent to investigate for any useful information. But often would turn up little more then a corpse to bring a widow some peace. Maybe they would actually be able to change something by searching a pirate vessel rather then one of their many victims.
The cutting was finished, Hayes was the first in past the still glowing metal of the ship's airlock into the cargo bay that they had cut into. He kept his assault rifle at the ready, scanning for targets, who knew what form of booby traps could be left behind, airlocks or other critical systems could give away remotely, leaving Hayes drifting in dead space, though this close to planet side meant that Hayes was more likely to die from the fall then suffocation. Strangely enough they found these traps, most of them were disabled, those that weren't were easily bypassed. The recycled air in the ship was stale, cheap atmospheric recycling leaving a horrible edge to the air. The small team moved through the vessel, weapon and helmet mounted flashlights and targeting lasers illuminating the gloom caused by the emergency power. The more and more they searched this ship, the more that stood out as plain wrong. The cargo was strewn about, leaving valuable loot behind. Crates of weapons, supplies, credits, loot that would be valuable to any pirate were left strewn on the ground. Calls went down the search party as bodies were found. Crew members, armed pirates had been gunned down and dragged into plain sight, they were put on display as gruesome warnings for any would be vultures like Hayes. They were partially shredded, hung from rafters or nailed to walls in poses that were mockingly angelic, whoever did this wanted to send a message.
Pieces of a larger puzzle came together the more they probed into this ship, even a small faction. Smuggling panels had been torn open, whoever had boarded this vessel was searching for something. One of the engineers called out,"Hey I got something!" Hayes huried over as one of the engineers had his head poked into one of the smuggling compartments. He undid another panel, slowly sliding out of the hiding place as he held something in his hand. It was smooth, black, a soft green glow came from many gliphs he moved it around in his hand softly. But they didn't have much time to ask questions, over the comms one of his squad mates cried out, "Contacts I got contacts here!" Gunfire erupted and Hayes didn't spare a second rushing to aid his comrade, other engineer behind him. Upon entering the cargo bay as one of the imperial marines Hayes witnessed one of the marines being scythed down. When he saw his enemies he couldn't help but pause. They were humans, well possibly, their posture was animistic, slightly hunched over, they were wearing a mask, their bodies covered by black armor, pitted and scratched with green glowing energy cells on their back. But most bizarrely was the few pieces of skin that could be seen was flayed, raw muscle could be seen. They used shard carbines, popular weapons among pirates, but they were hardwired to one of their arms. One of the creatures turned towards Hayes who opened fire with his rifle, several bullets caught the creature between it's armor, but it's wounds didn't bleed. but he caught another in the glowing cells on it's back, a detonation of sickly green energy smashed it to the ground, the creature twitching as he died. He ducked back into cover just as other monster aimed it's shard carbine, heedless to the loss of it's comrade as it opened fire with it's rapid crackle as it filled the air with lethal needles. Hayes screamed as several of the needles ripped into his arm, others embedding into the walls and his armor. The engineer span as he was hit, whatever he had found moments before clattered to the ground as he fell into a pool of his own blood. Hayes ran, get back to the boarding vessel, and blast this vessel to dust. He could hear the creatures moving when a mechanical wheeze, but a lone marine didn't stand a chance as these hounds of hell pursued him. However his frantic pace didn't let him react as another one of the mechanical creatures rounded a corner, a hammerblow of a fist pitching him into the ground. His vision span as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He felt a barrel of a carbine pressed to his chest, but he heard a creature speak. A binary screech that he couldn't understand except for one word, "objective."
Hayes struggled to open his eyes, he could feel the blood on his face. His head rolled lazily on his shoulders, he could see one of his assailant dragging him by the one arm that still had a hand to it. He heard a clicking of metal on meta, his arm released and suddenly a human face was leveled on top of his. Her face was covered by a re breather mask, instead of eyes an array of glowing green lenses could be seen covering a pale face framed by green hair. Despite the voice being humanoid compared to the monsters, it still was disturbing to Hayes, "My my, what do we have here? A lovely imperial lapdog. We're going to have lots of fun together." Her demented giggle echoed as she looked him up and down like a piece of meat. When he looked down he could see her armored torso, the extra set of limbs tipped with wicked blades, a demented surgeon's kit. Most shocking were the wicked array of spider like limbs poking out from under the black dress that she wore. Behind her was another docking umbilical, another ship must have docked with the corsair while he was out. "Hmmm, you might make even make a good pet." He couldn't help but feel that she was referencing to the creatures that fought for her, "But you will have to wait for later,"She stepped over his limp body, accepting whatever it was that the marines had stumbled upon, she looked to him for a moment before returning her attentions to her prize. Hayes could practically see the devilish grin behind the mask. He looked at where he had laid down. Right next to him was a trip wire, the thin chord clipped and hanging useless. He could just barely trace the wires leading to the open airlock. He closed his eyes, he wasn't going to live through this, whatever this thing was guaranteed Hayes a horrible death. He reached out, no one had noticed him before he pulled the chord. The airlock blew out, whatever ship had docked to was holding it in orbit, the trap sent the corsair plummeting from orbit. The dull recycled air was filled with turbulence as the craft span, the woman, her monsters, the cargo, all thrown debris everywhere in a whirlwind of chaos, a mix of emergency systems blaring to try and arrest the fall and the deafening winds of snowstorms spilling turned everything to a white haze. Hayes just clung on for dear life as they plummeted down to the icy hell below.