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Nima Kairn     Welcome back to Balmorra! The Imperial stronghold on the planet, the city of Sobrik. Since the most recent attack by unknown rebels, the city's defenses have been beefed up incredibly; even clear Imperial citizens sometimes get stopped by passing security teams. The air in the city might feel... a little tense.

    Nima Kairn's Breaker of Delusion comes in for a landing; the ramp lowers and Nima steps out immediately, moving with some speed and purpose towards the eastern part of the city--on the way, the rising number of Imperial troops and scientists shows that this place is largely where the Empire has put down it's strongest routes. Nima's leading HK towards a fairly utilitarian building as she explains what she needs.

    "There's an artifact somewhere on Balmorra," she explains with an easy smile, despite her purposeful stride. "One that, on it's own, is relatively unimportant, but still worth preserving. Unfortunately... by my estimates, where the artifact lies is currently under a lake of radioactive sludge when the plant that used to be there ws destroyed in a bombing raid. There might be a scientist here who can get us inside, somehow."
HK-47      An atmosphere of paranoid uncertainty was hardly uncommon in the wake of civil unrest. In many cases it was even an assassin's most useful tool. However, in this instance, HK-47 couldn't help but note that the hyper-aware focus on his framework, while mildly flattering in that they recognized him as something to be feared, meant that he would likely need to bring a disguise or concealment of some form if he ever wanted to conduct an operation here.

     After all, someone would need to hunt down those rebel factions sooner or latter... and he did so need some practice in counter-gurella warfare.

     As they enter the capital city of Sobrik, HK quietly observes the design architecture of the Sith forces - both in military and structure - and notes that while there is a very distinct difference between his timeline and this one between aesthetics, they shared the same minimalist design for buildings.

     It seemed that one did not easily forget their roots.

     Keeping pace with Nima through his own strides, HK takes in the brief rundown of events with a slight hint of curiosity - the artifact had to be worth more then he was being told. One didn't send a Sith Inquisitor for something so trivial as fishing a relic from a pit of toxic waste - that was a recovery-droid's job.

     Then again, perhaps it was only of value to Sith. Either way, the droid filed the query away for later reference.

     "Query - I assume you expect hostilities. You would not have called for combat assistance if all you needed was one meatbag scientist's skills."
Nima Kairn     HK certainly was a clever droid when he wanted to be. Nima can't help but feel some concern regarding how wise it was to involve him in this particular operation--there's no telling what sort of information he could pass to his Emperor Revan, nor what impact such information could have. Despite her reservations, however, the twi'lek's face keeps a relaxed and easy smile as they continued on their way.

    "That's correct. There is, of course, the chance of another rebel attack. I'll be bringing my servant Khem Val, as well." In fact, she'll be sending him a message as soon as she's done talking to the scientists. After all, he could be... a little intimidating.

    When they arrive at the building they need, the Sith steps in immediately, leading to a room stuffed to the gills with various screens, readouts, and interfaces. Which is surprising, because there's only two people in there, and both of them look military. Stepping behind one of them, the Inquisitor quietly clears her throat to get their attention. "Major Bessiker, Imperial Reclaimation Service. I'm told you are the person I should go to about a certain vault filled with toxic waste."

    The human spins around immediately at the mention of his name. "Eh? Sith? And an alien? It's good to meet you, Sith. And..." His eyes fall on Hk and he freezes for just an instant. "That... Is an HK unit?" THe look he gives the both of them might've been comical, until he regains his composure. "Ah... Well, it's a hard war that you're walking into, Sith, but we'll do everything we can to assist you." With a smile, he confides, "YOu know, my son is in Korriban training now. I'm very proud."

    Nima gives him an amused smile and a nod, and the Major clears his throat. "Ah... Captain, the waste pit. Do we still have those pumps?" THe captain looks up and shakes his head slowly. "Sir... It's not going to be that simple. If we're thinking of the same one, the fumes alone have pt people into medical."

    The Major bows his head slightly and frowns. "Hrm... There are the COlidcoids. There's been an explosion of them recently out of nowhere... and they've been seen feeding on the toxic waste somehow. There were reports of a lab somewhere not far from the Balmorran Arms factory, something related to the rebels. It's gone dark since, and it happened at around the same time as the population explosion."

    Bugs, hm... Nima nods slowly and rubs her hands together quietly. "I see... There's the chance that they might've been genetically engineered." Glancing over to HK, she suddenly is a little more grateful for his presence. "How do you feel about killing bugs?"
HK-47      Much of the droid's perceptiveness had come from years of assassination and combat. More still had come from being built and programmed by one who had long been regarded as a genius in strategy. It was what made him curious as to what this artifact's function could possibly be.

     As well as whether or not the Balmorra of his own reality held an artifact of similar nature, if their general timelines were similar enough.

     Taking note of the chance for combat against rebel elements, HK inwardly begins cycling through his combat actuator systems for a pre-battle check in anticipation of carnage. "Statement - I hope your servant is a species suited to, then. Most meatbags are absurdly fragile."

     HK's observation of the room is interrupted when the human - designated as 'Major Bessiker' - recognizes him as an HK unit, a paradoxical mix of charges simulating pride and weariness looping through his core at being seen as a peerlessly-sophisticated assassin droid. Still, best to focus on the positives - at least it was not a civilian that recognized him as such; "Acknowledgement - Correct. I am HK-47, combat and assassin droid, here to assist the Inquisitor in the... termination of any issues, potential or otherwise."

     The way he says this, it breeds an uncomfortable question as to just what constitutes 'potential threat' for the assassin droid.

     As HK listens to the debriefing of the situation - noting once again the incompetence of meatbags for trying to operate in a setting they clearly were not designed to handle. Likewise, the reference to Colicoids was interesting seeing as they were regarded as a race of brilliant droid innovators - yet the Major described them as animalistic. A reset to their base programming, then?

     What catches his interest the most is the reference to the rebels - "Query - Are you suggesting the rebels did something to cause the Colicoid outbreak? That seems a rather gross violation of their supposed mandate to do what is best for their world if they are unleashing ravenous insectoids."

     When Nima asks about the prospect of killing the Colicoids, the droid makes the possibly-terrifying more of pulling free his disruptor carbine and powering it up in a pre-combat test, likely panicking anyone the weapon's muzzle points at while he checks it's systems. "Eager Statement - I thought you would never ask."
Count Kord     Kord is having a hard time with worlds like this. The trip over surely relied on technology he was not at all familiar with, and it doesn't help that one of the people nearby is apparently made of mechanical parts. He was quiet the whole journey over here and when everyone makes their introductions, he decides not to step forward and just wait for them to discuss something he could understand.

    Like HK, he does understand death. He mirrors the excitement with a deep and ominous chuckle and that's about it, preparing an ornate red and black scythe that unfolds the blade.
Nima Kairn     Oh, Nima thinks that HK has nothing to worry about. Khem Val is certainly an impressive specimen.

    The Major shrugs slightly at HK's inquiry, his expression quizzical. "You know, I asked the same thing. I suppose it's an indication of why the Empire is meant to rule here, not Republic puppets wasting their lives for nothing. Still, the timing of the two things happening is rather strange, don't you agree?"

    Still, when HK goes for his blaster, and Kord his scythe, things get a little uncomfortable. The two men visibly flinch as if expecting to be attacked. Nima doesn't move at all--but for just a moment, the saberstaff clipped to her hip twitched as if it had been ready to fly into Nima's hand. Her expression, however, keeps remarkably still and placid. In fact, she smiles broadly and motions to her companions. "Isn't it nice to have such eager compatriots," she singsongs. Turning away, she starts heading for the door again. As she goes, she calls for Khem Val. "Just give the nice droid the credits and come meet us at the outpost," she tells him cheerily. His response is less than polite.

    What happens from there is that they all get a shuttle--Sith benefits, you see--to an outpost a few kilometers from the city. The overlook of the planet is pretty grim; this rebellion has been costly.

    They arrive at an outpost to meet Khem Val--the Deshade is certainly quite imposing, and his lamprey-like mouth would probably be pretty disturbing. He doesn't say much as Nima starts leading them off of the beaten path into semi-swampy wilderness.

    "...and so we're going to kill Colicoids until we find that facility," she explains to her servant as they go along. Despite the lightness of her tone, her saberstaff is held firmly, ready to be ignited. TO Kord, she says, "I expect all of this has been overwhelming, comrade. Still--be wary of the Colicoids. They are a insectoid species... very strong, very fast. I look forward to seeing you both work."
HK-47      Taking note of the conformation for the close timing of events, HK logs a reminder into his memory banks to check the plant for any evidence of how the outbreaks occurred. If it linked back to the rebels, or better yet the Republic, it could severely damage their position - and if it somehow lead back to the Empire, the evidence would be recovered and destroyed.

     When offered his credits, the droid wordlessly accepts the payment from the Imperials and then falls in line with Nima and Kord, regarding the latter with mild curiosity. "Statement - Colicoids specialize in close-range combat when deprived of automated weapons. I would hope you are used to fighting large numbers in melee-combat - you will practically be guarding my flank, and I would prefer to know I will not have to carry back your corpse in the event of battle."

     A very harsh way of saying 'I really hope you don't don't die out there', but none of the HK models were ever really built to express concern in an amiable way.

     Boarding the Sith shuttle, HK takes the chance to look out the viewports to get as broad a reconnaissance overlook of Balmorra as possible, noting the gratifyingly-immense scene of destruction wrought between the rebels and the Empire while taking account of the surprising scale it extended to. "Musing - A home-grown rebellion would certainly be more difficult to uproot and exterminate then an invading force but, with Sith authority extending over munitions and supplies, they should not be this well-armed and numerous. Assessment - They are likely getting support from some outside source, at least as far as supplies go."

     When the shuttle lands, HK pauses as he descends the ramp and catches sight of Khem Val for the first time, his photoreceptors gleaming in what seems to be surprise. "Surprised Statement - A Deshade? I was under the assumption your species had been rendered extinct millennia ago." He takes in the tall, imposing form with what seems to be a subtle appreciation for it's features, all of which lend to it having a potent killing prowess. "Musing - You should certainly be more hardy then the average meatbag. I look forward to seeing how you operate in combat - it will give me a rare insight into how your species fights, should I ever encounter one."
Count Kord     Making people nervous was just something Kord did out of habit. He did have this strange feeling about him, not quite right, that may be especially easy to pick up on for the force-sensitive twi'lek. He spared only a glance to her when she called Khem, the exchange causing some pause in him. It's HK's words that really grab his attention, though. "They will not kill me," he tells HK-47, his voice deep and confident.

    The Count doesn't say much after that, all the way to the outpost. He is still nervous around tech and it makes it hard to make casual conversation. He is actually very silent, more than a man in armor should be. Something about the way his armor is made, the way the padding under it works. He keeps his eyes ahead of him or focused on his weapon, to keep from seeming too jumpy about things these people take to pretty naturally.

    Meeting Khem isn't marked with any surprise on Kord's part. Actually, a brutish-looking fellow is comfortingly familiar, even if his face his unsettling. Nima only gets a grunt for her apparent concern. Beyond what he said to HK, he has no desire to give anyone assurances. "An honor to meet you," he says, to Khem Val, upon meeting him, especially hearing how impressed HK was about him.
Nima Kairn     The way that the Deshade looked at everyone made it clear that he still considered himself above them. Which, considering how he looks, and the massive vibroblade strapped to his back, it's hard to see why. <I am Khem Val, greatest servant of Tulak Hord, the devourer of rebels at Yn and Chabosh. My kind--and my master--have all turned to dust. Only to be replaced with the little Sith. For now.> He snorts. <You would lose, little droid.> As they begin to move, he takes his vibroblade in hand. His hands clench eagerly as they go along.

    Nima, for her part, chuckles quietly. Unlike her monster, she's being a little more quiet in how she goes. "We still aren't past you wanting to eat me yet? Seems I'll have to pester you more until I grow on you."

    It feels pretty stale and dank here, but what's worse is that the fumes aren't really that far anymore. There's an acrid taste, tinged with other disgusting tastes impossible to name, on the very tip of the tongue. What's worse than that--the longer they walk, the more often it seems like their footsteps are being shadowed. Every now and then there are quiet chitters and clicks as something disappears from the corner of the eye. With the Force, Nima is able to suddenly feel all of the life around them. "It's official... we're being hunted."

    When the sounds enclosed around them, that was the time that they finally charged. From around them, three green insectoids vaguely reminicent of four-legged crickets (if crickets had talon hands and horrible little poking feek) explode from the mud around them, each going for a person in the group. Immediately Nima activates her lightsaber and spins it over her head, but seeing that there was a creature fairly close to HK, she immediately reaches to the Force and fires a stunning bolt at it, causing it to stagger and nearly fall right in HK's sights.

    Khem Val immediately growls when he sees enemies--and seeing one was coming directly for Nima, he charges forward and clashes with the creature, huge chopping swings sending the thing flying back several times as it tries to charge. The other went for Kord, chirping as it's red eyes locked on the scythe-user. It tries to charge and kick with it's front legs--it's actually really strong, and those legs chan break through metal if someone's not careful.
HK-47      The assassin droid takes easy note of Kord's obvious discomfort to his surroundings. Most notably the city itself and the shuttlecraft. However, the meatbag seemed confident enough in his combat skills to speak readily enough about prevailing, so if nothing else HK decided that he would at least not die very easily.

     After meeting the Deshade, HK seems to quirk his metallic head at Khem's statement - even if Unification didn't fix the issue of translation, he'd gained transcripts of Deshade language from the Citadel after Revan took over - seeming... oddly inquiring. As if the warrior's statement was taken as a challenge.

     "Commentary - Only if you saw me coming, Deshade."

     If nothing else, it seems HK is willing to concede Khem could take him in close-quarters. Especially since the alien is one of the few beings HK has actually met that is taller then him by a good margin.

     As they enter their target zone, HK once again muses that sending organics with vulnerable olfactory organs and respiratory systems for this mission had been an immense blunder for Imperial Command. Most meatbags complained simply when their daily meals had a spice they did not favor, let alone the scents of biodegrading chemicals and decaying organic material.

     However, the changes in shadows - the subtle ebbing of movement around corners - leads to the obvious conclusion that they are being stalked.

     Soon enough, the creatures - obviously lacking in overt intellect if their bestial charging was any indication - launched their assault, one of them emerging from the ground rather close to HK himself. However, before either can react, the Colicoid lurches as if pulled by something - the work of the Inquisitor it seemed - and HK quickly capitalizes on this by aiming his disruptor at the creature's skull and firing, the bolt of white-hot disintegrating energy lancing forward for it's target.

     Obviously, the droid wasn't taking chances.
Count Kord     If the pollution bothers Kord, it doesn't show. He had followed and kept his wits about him the whole way, and he presumes this is where they would find these Colicoids before Nima warns the group as a whole. He already has scythe out and ready, prepared for a fight, when the insects emerged for their attack. The chaos kicked in and that's when Kord felt his most natural since they started this little trip.

    With the other three distracted -- he glanced toward HK but Nima seemed to have him covered for now -- he had plenty of focus for the Colicoid coming at him. With an efforted growl, he stepped to avoid getting torn to pieces by the kicks and accepting only some gouges in his armor, moving only just enough to step into the middle of the creature's personal space, his upper body twisting to slam the butt of the scythe into the center of its body. It's not just a melee strike but a strike backed with a blast of dark energy, which would be like a shotgun being fired point blank at the Colicoid, creating an impressive spray of black and red that is very lethal.

    It would blast the mud behind it, too, and create a gust of wind around Kord.
Nima Kairn     Disruptors were terrible things when used against organics. The electricity smacking it's system was bad enough, but the energy breaches through the thing's skull, leaving it to quietly fade away as if it had never been. Kord's Colicoid admittedly didn't get much better treatment; it drops back down to all four legs and bring it's forelimbs into play, but then it's hit with energy and blown back several feet, now with a big hole in it's chest as it kicks feebly a couple more times. Sadly, that's not the least of them. There's... actually probably a couple dozen more than they should really take on alone. Even now, six others are trying to enter melee!

    Khem Val grunts as the alien manages to score a talon against his chest, but immediately grabs the thing's ugly face and hacks at it until it finally, messily, cleaves through it's neck. Nima grunts as she takes in their numbers. "We're not far from the facility. We have to charge and break through the encirclement!" She starts running, the Deshade close behind her. When two colicoids try to charge, she comes to a stop and reaches out with her hand. Bolts of Force Lightning fly from her fingertips and strike both, sending jolts up and down their limbs. She stops and starts running again as the Deshade cuts down one while kicking the other over.

    There's still plenty for Kord and HK, though! From the right and left come two more. If they want, they might be fast enough to keep just ahead of them. Otherwise, scything talons and horrid chittering sounds for them!
HK-47      Even as the first insect is slain, HK knows that it is only a proverbial drop in the ocean - Colicoids, as an insectoid species, evolved through a hive-based hierarchy. As such, they operated in groups and packs, working to overwhelm through numbers.

     However, these Colicoids, as he'd mused before, seemed far devolved from the intelligent inventors of Colla IV, with were minor physiological differences as well. Minor mutations that were barely discernible from the average Colicoid, yet present all the same. All in all, they barely seemed more then animals.

     And most animals were easy to frighten, at least for a short time.

     "Prejudice - Set to maximum!" - Taking after Nima's short-burst usage of Lightning, HK activates his flamethrower and begins laying down a jet of fire with which to try and either roast the insectoids at best - or frighten and delay them at worst.

     Likewise, it might give Kord a chance to cut down any of the insectoids that were either distracted or incapacitated - the droid wanted to improve his ability to work in conjunction with other Confederates, if for no other reason then enhancing overall lethality.
Count Kord     Kord doesn't spend any time feeling good about taking down the bug. He's already preparing to hit the next one that comes at him, clearly more than ready to fight as many Colicoids as this world can throw at him... But when the numbers are clear and his allies aren't keen on fighting a battle with odds like this, he doesn't spend much time dealing with the one that comes after him. Especially not when HK decides to use a flamethrower to scare or scorch any that come near the group.

    Kord takes full advantage of the chance to mop up any Colicoids that happen to have tried to power through a flamethrower, working his way through them with vicious slashes that don't seem to care about the chitin at all. He's focusing only on the ones that will impede their advance to the facility itself, instead of exterminating all of them. Can't get separated from Nima and Khem. He's also making sure HK is not blindsided, keeping track of the droid's position and where the Colicoids are relative to him.

    "I had missed battles like this!" he shouts over the noise and the violence. "It has been too long."
Nima Kairn     As colicoids died, there might've been a great anger in these creatures, with how they came forward with surprising ferocity despite their losses. Until the fire happens, anyway. There's always that primal fear of fire that almost all species carry, even insectoids. A couple do get roasted in flames that make them steam and whistle quietly as their insides superheated--and ruptured the chitin in splashes of steaming yellow goo. A couple manage to start circling around, but Kord is vigilant enough to catch them and punish them, leaving dismembered corpses behind him. Still, it was probably better that they were doing a fighting retreat, considering how many were ahead.

    They reach the foothills of a mountain; circling around one of these foothills reveals what looks to be a deserted facility tucked into a little hidey-hole. "It's there!" Nima shouts defiantly over the noise, pointing ahead. Gritting her teeth, she begins to move surprisingly fast for a few moments, getting to a doorway whose door had long since been destroyed by Colocoid efforts ahead of the rest.

    She ends up meeting another colicoid that comes from inside the building, but she whirls around quickly. The purple blades of her saberstaff cut through easily and send pieces of it tumbling to the ground. From there, she spins around. Time for everyone else.

    "Get in!" She yells as she gathers her strength. Her blue irises begin to turn sickly yellow as she reaches for the Force to send bolts of lightning flying for the creatures chasing HK and Kord. It appears she's trying to give them support until they're in. Once that happens, Khem Val appears, upturning a wrecked computer console into the entryway to block it off... For now.

    Looking at it, this place definitely was where the colicoids came from. There's evidence of their presence everywhere--eggs up in the corners, technology wrecked by scything claws, the works. Nima gives a quiet sigh as she looks around. "Who knew bugs could be so much fun?" The Inquisitor quips.
HK-47      And so superior tools triumphed over numbers, the assassin droid pulling back step by step while Kord kept him protected from surprise attacks. All throughout, HK-47 takes an almost morbid delight in watching how the Colicoids die under the effects of intense fire, unperturbed as splatterings of viscera paint sections of his armor with grotesque yellow splotches.

     He also had some rather soothing imagery for the trip home now to analyze for future reference, regarding differences between Colicoids from his reality and this one.

     Between HK and Kord - one operating at mid-range and the other at close-range - they managed to at least repel enough of the Colicoids as to keep pace with Nima and Khem, the droid finding the experience not too dissimilar from when he had served alongside the wookiee Zaalbar over a decade ago. An offsetting of strengths and weaknesses - the advantage of working in a team, the droid supposed. Even if he was ill-inclined to do so for any other reason besides combat effectiveness.

     As they reached the base of a nearby mountain, HK-47 keeps his photoreceptors focused on any more possible contacts, noting that more of them were likely starting to swarm - one of the more annoying aspects of insectoid colonies; once you were acknowledged as a threat, they prioritized destroying you until either you fell or they did.

     Entertaining as it would have been to see how such a fight would have gone, HK regarded his mission as priority and moved for the base at Nima's urgings, turning around to fire off all five of his wrist-mounted incendiary darts at any of the approaching Colicoids that Nima's lightning-discharges missed so as to cover Korn's flanks.

     When they finally made it into the plant itself, the droid takes a short time to assess his surroundings, focusing in particular on the gestation pods in the room. Eggs, they were called. "Assessment - Indeed. They make for excellent target practice." The droid tentatively approaches one, though he makes no effort to directly interact with it. "Observation - The presence of these eggs indicate the Colicoids are breeding in large numbers. This is either a breeding chamber or an incubation chamber. If the former, we may encounter a Colicoid queen, while if the latter we may only encounter guards."

     One would be more challenging yet exciting, and the other would more boring but easy.
Count Kord     For Kord, it was like being in war all over again. While he regarded it as a necessary evil when faced with humanity or other beings he could empathize with, these were simply gigantic pests that needed to be exterminated, and it meant he spared not a single ounce of mercy to them during the whole encounter. Scythe swings were aimed to maim and hinder, or take a kill shot when he could get it. When he knew a simple strike would not be sufficient, it was backed with cutting darkness, and there were moments where he seemed to attack from his own shadow or from HK's shadow, when near enough to the droid.

    He spared a mumbled word or three of gratitude when he was given cover by HK as they went into the facility. Once inside and they were given some breathing room, Kord breathed a sigh and let a bit of his combat tension deflate. He examined the ichor dripping off of his weapon for a moment, intrigued by the color, and then turned to start looking at the state of the place one spot at a time.

    "They had overrun the outpost," he observes. It was obvious, and he stated it as if he were simply disappointed in the mistakes of his apparent enemies. With HK's remark about what they could encounter, he prepares himself mentally for the Colicoid guards to be of a different mettle than the ones they encountered outside.

    "Killing them is an amusement, certainly," he agrees with HK, "I would not call them 'fun,' themselves."
Nima Kairn     The egg doesn't really do much as HK approaches, aside from occaisonally twitch and pulse with the life within. Nima comes up next to him to examine it, as well. "It appears you may be right," Nima coneedes with a small smile. "They're quite different from normal colidcoids as well, aren't they? Adding it all together..." She deactivates her saberstaff and idly plays with her lekku.

    "It would appear these Colicoids were genetically adapted to eat radioactive sludge. It was a cleaning effort. Commendable, but it seems that their eperiments got the best of them in the end. Perhaps once all of this is done we can revisit the idea in a better controlled environment." Or maybe they'll just have to blow the place to hell, who knows? "Personally, it would be quite interesting for someone to study a Queen's corpse, don't you think? Let us hope we are capable of regicide, in such a case."

    Khem Val occaisonally sends annoyed glances at the console blocking the doorway. The insects are smacking against it still, but there seems to be less now. <We will bring war on them,> He agrees hungrily. A quick glance is sent to Kord. <You handle your weapon well, human. It is good to fight beside strong warriors.>

    Honestly, the place wasn't really that big--there's an elevator and a ramp that lead both downstairs into a basement, and upwards. "If I had to guess, the labs would be upstairs, and the pens and cages down. We could just get the info... But we probably should deal with this before it gets even more out of hand." With that, Nima starts heading for the ramp. Seems the elevator's powered down.

    As they go, the sound of scuttling and chittering gets louder as the room gets darker. Thankfully there's still emergency lighting, but it just casts the area in ominous orange. Whatever cages might've been down here have long been built over by the insects. Far away, there's a much clouder clanging... And suddenly there she was. A rather large example of her species, she peeks her head out from a shadowed alcove and hisses malevolently. Around them, insects started crawling around and over their sticky webbings to surround them.

    Nima activates her lightsaber and slowly steps back towards her companions. Putting her back to them, if you will. "I wonder what happens if the Queen is killed," she says dispassionately. "Shall we find out?" Then she throws her weapon, sending the thing spinning down a narrow alley, cutting down two colicoids there who had gotten too close. This, of course, prompts the charge!
HK-47      HK watches idly as the egg reacts, briefly contemplating whether or not to simply smash it before it proved a threat. However, he quickly dismissed the option as, even if it were to abruptly hatch, the resultant spawn would be ill-equipped to do much damage - as well as the fact that disturbing any of the clutches might alert any nearby Colicoids too quickly.

     And speaking of the Colicoids themselves, the droid seems in agreement on Nima's appraisal regarding the mutations. "Musing - An interesting move, to say the least. And there will certainly be numerous examples of what to avoid in the event of a re-enactment of this experiment." At the mention of a possible dissection, the droid's photoreceptors light up in what looks to be glee, idly checking his vibroknife's power-cell for conformation on readiness. "Eager Assurance - I can personally vouch for being fully prepared for and capable of regicide, Inquisitor."

     The droid also seemed to pause hearing Khem Val interact with Kord, seeming annoyed by the latter being acknowledged as an excellent combatant due to his use of a sword.

     As they decide on their course of action, moving down the ramps into what can only be a heavily-terraformed hive, HK becomes notably more talkative as he observes their surroundings, drawn to the shattered remains of the many computers. "Musing - It is surprising that an element or either of the Balmorran Government or possibly the Galactic Republic were conducting genetics-engineering tests on the genes of a /sapient/ species like the Colicoids. Both tend to restrict such research far more harshly then the Sith Empire does, to my knowledge. A shame, as I believe the Empire would have been likely to endorse such experiments - and this loss of control and resources would have been avoided."

     It sends a looping query through the droid's processor on just how this experiment came to be... and if the Balmorrans themselves knew about it?

     As they near the end, though... the droid pauses, dropping to one knee as he readies his rifle for pinpoint targeting.

     He had to take a pre-emptive strike - Queens were the governing intelligence of a hive, so their target would inevitably be more intelligent then the workers and warriors they faced before. "Acknowledgement - Yes, Inquisitor. Charging Weapons!"

     He then pulls the trigger, attempting to shoot out one of the Queen's eyes to either blind or distract her - vital-point targeting was a necessity against something with natural armor, after all.
Count Kord     Kord knows nothing of radioactivity, but he does gather that these are engineered creatures used for cleaning up the area. He looks at Nima as if she were speaking of divine acts, by the way his eyes squint a little. "Livestock... for cleaning," he mutters to himself, piecing together the explanation easily enough.

    The compliment from Khem is reciprocated, "An honor to fight alongside you." A genuine sentiment, by his tone.

    As they advance further into the facility, he chuckles to himself. It's dark. He loves the dark. Why does he love the dark? Well, he advances toward the Queen and then there's the loud FWOOM when he gets close enough as the shadows inside swing from vulnerable angles at the Queen, used as blades to strike the Queen. It's now apparent that he's manipulating the shadows.

    He doesn't even need to be in reach of their claws to attack when it's this dark, and he only really needs to use his scythe if one of the small fry get too close for comfort. Not that he's impervious in the dark, but it sure is hard to get close to him.
Nima Kairn     Sudden chaos has sprung up, leaving this breeding pit to start roiling like a kicked anthill once lightsabers are thrown and shots are fired. The local breed is actually bigger than the ones outside--a praetorian guard of sorts, probably. They certainly look nasty, many of them seeming having evolved angry red carapace like fire ants.

    HK's shot on the queen doesn't quite clip the eye, but it gets damn close, impacing on and vaporizing the chitin just to the right of it. The insult is plain, though. She draws her head back and hisses like a dozen steaming kettles as she starts coming out of her abode--though she stumbles a bit as shadow blades suddenly fly out from her home to score some oozing wounds on her legs and torso. She charges regardless, and a wave of her guards come with her.

    For their part, Khem Val and Nima are creatures born to melee combat. At this range, there's not much that either can do to help out yet. So for now, the two of them have taken positions covering HK and Kord. Khem's brutal strikes to maim and slaughter make him the rock that broke the wave.

    Nima had far more finesse, whirling her saberstaff around her body in many quick, vicious strikes. When one gets too close, she pushes her hand forward and calls to the Force--the creature is sent flying back to bowl over some of of his fellows. Sadly, they aren't all winners--some of them manage to get inside her range and rage their claws against her--but the sight of her own blood draws her into a silent fury that hardens her expresion dangerously.

    For now, HK and Kord were mostly free to act independantly. THe queen was coming, and she had a lot of friends. Maybe they could even the score a bit before things got too hairy?
HK-47      The breeding ground was obviously well-established - not only was there a Queen but a praetorian guard as well. Signs that the nest must have had at least some degree of time to establish itself in.

     The number of soldiers she has to call upon only accented that fact.

     Annoyed at how his attack seemed to aggravate the Queen more then anything else, HK reassessed the immediate situation as he notes that the head of the hive's armor is undoubtedly thicker then its drones, shrugging off Kord's unusual attacks without breaking its stride.

     The Queen's strategy was obvious - wear them down with an onslaught and then finish them off itself. The Inquisitor and Deshade could hold the Colicoids back for now... but unless they did something to break the tide, they were going to be pushed back sooner or later. They needed to coordinate.

     Reaching for his equipment belt, HK pulls free an adhesive glue-grenade and lobs it at the oncoming Queen and it's reinforcements, intending to cement at least a few of them to the ground long enough for someone to deliver a counterattack on them - "Statement - Enemies immobilized!"

     He then readied his dart-launcher and fired off all five of his slugthrower stake-darts at some of the Colicoids to draw them off, possibly slaying a few if the attacks went through their eyes and into their soft brains - though one of them got close enough to lash out and leave a pair of scrapes across his torso, pushing the droid back.

     He certainly hoped there were other contingencies in mind among the group, or they were going to be in for a long fight.
Count Kord     Kord is given a lot of leeway by his allies, thanks to their efforts to cull the bugs that try to get closer to him. Since he's a melee combatant himself, this only works so far, and he exerts a lot of effort avoiding getting struck or bitten or kicked by the praetorians as they come toward him. Sparks fly and darkness swirls around him, until he's given a ripe moment by a well-aimed glue grenade thrown at the Queen.

    He lunges, and roars. It's different from his other attacks, emitting an aura of Death around him before he even completes the maneuver. He brings the scythe up above his head and leaps, getting high enough to scrape the ceiling some, and he throws the weapon down in a full 180 slice. The strike is followed by a crackle of red energy, leaving a light trail behind it and silhouetting the user in black. It's in this moment they see the weird red and black tail that had uncurled from his waist lash from side to side, a clear indicator that he may not be 100% human after all.

    The attack is catastrophic. It makes the room rumble and even shatters a few lights around it. The real effect is, if it hits the potentially immobile target, it will cut into her viciously and the majority of the damage done will be absorbed as life force by Kord himself. And it will also mean that the target stands a good chance of being turned into a crumbling, twisted statue by the sheer amount of life taken from it, depending on how hard he might hit.

    It's very flashy and very loud.
Nima Kairn     Things had gotten rather hectic now, as more and more colicoids came out of the woodwork to fight for their Queen. Neither Khem nor Nima can keep holding back the waves much longer at this rate, and both of them are getting pretty battered by their experience.

    The glue grenade was a pretty good idea; several of the praetorians get enmeshed and fall over as they relentlessly try to pull themselves free. The much larger queen gets similarly enmeshed, but it's clear that she's a lot stronger than her help, and she manages to start freeing herself... until Kord's attack.

    Guided by the hive's instincts, the queen hisses and jinks to the side of the falling scythe--but her left back leg hadn't quite pulled free yet. Until it's separated from her, at least. That actually gets a roar from her, as the chtin around the severed part begins to grow dull and grey for what was taken from it. She's still up, but it's wobbly and punch-drunk.

    Perfect time for a counterattack. Nima Force pushes another group of colicoids away and breaks for the queen, needing to actually jump over a few praetorians as they came. Once she's in position, she drops her saberstaff and goes to a knee. Lightning courusates around her person and her arms. "Nngh... RHHHHH!" her scream of rage is punctuated by the streams of Force lightning she sends from her hands to the Queen's face, making her scream as she tries to move away from the horrible pain.

    All around them, colicoids lose their minds as their queen suffers. Some turn on fellows in mad bloodlust, others seemingly panic and go off in different directions. Eventually, the queen falls, and remains still. Mostly because everything in her body is probably locked up from all the electricity.

    Picking up her saberstaff, Nima wearily goes to meet the fellows. "Regicide and a civil war... impressive." She gives her compatriots a weary smile. "Let's get what we came for and let them sort all this out."