A superheated mantle, composed of the most lustrous shades of rose, amethyst and lapis churned in gaseous fury as the array of sensory receptors that lined the length of its oblong carapace passively observed its actions. Electromagnetic bursts cascaded forth from the roiling cloud as the form of Ua continued its orbit around Q'ab's star. The moment of Convergence had arrived once more, and its role in the Eternal Rite must be fulfilled once again. Ua's advent into this plane of existence had begun with a series of fermion pairs finding their polemic counterparts; fluctuating with such quantum friction that the superfluid vacuum of space tore at its very seams, causing a distortion around Ajana, the star. Through this tear Ua was suspended in a quasi-corporeal form. It had oft considered the frequency at which this universe operated on to be discordant, and sought to expedite its duties as to return to the comfort of a more harmonious plane of existence. From the squamous husk that composed the entirety of its mass, spectral strands of undulating tendrils slithered from innumerable openings. The distance between its appendages and Ajana became suffused with its spread, an ever growing blot against its luminosity. Quantum strata fractured as Ua vibrated violently, a phantasmagoric patina pouring out from each aperture, encasing the star in an intricate network of bioelectric tissue; fresh capillaries running through the length of the quivering mass, harvesting Ajana's energies in order to power its processes. Its appetite voracious and growth exponential. Ua coldly noted that it had already encompassed a large portion of Ajana and prepared itself for the rest of the Rite. From within its depths there began a terrible tremble. Its resonance increased in intensity, the pulses emanating from its epicenter running through the length of its tendrils and spreading across the surface of sloughed skin. A nightmarish beat was brought about, and with each new wave of force a metamorphic process was underway. The Rite could not be stopped. === The crisp crack of a vacuum seal being broken. There were few sounds more enjoyable, once given proper context. This was the.. ele-twelfth such sound in the past hour. It'd been quite some time since a job had fallen into his lap and Ophidian didn't mind spending that time drinking himself into oblivion. Or as much as the prosthetics in his hunched form would allow. A calloused and gnarled hand lifted the container to his gaping maw and drained its contents in one swig. A stream of neon ran down the corner of his razor-thin lips; a putrid combination of Nvarian muskglands and liquid brillium. A chime cut across the courtyard that gave way to the soft rumble of an ozone generator. It signaled a proximity breach; something having entered the orbit of the small moon he had settled comfortably outside of Cizran space. He turned at the hips, the muscles of his neck being so thick that turning it was saved for the most dramatic of moments. "Lars." His voice; an asteroid adrift in solar wind. Something comforting yet distinctly authoritative. In response, a contemplative and morose modulation of a male voice. "Sir, it seems a courier drone has entered our airspace and is bearing towards our position. Shortburst broadcast says it's Cizran. More specifically, from Su-Lahn.: A shrill whistle escaped his pursed mouth and he brushed away the neon trail with a hairy forearm. He hopped out a hammock he'd strung between the broken fuselage of a wrecked cargo cruiser. Much of his surroundings seemed to be refurbished wreckage from vessels of various make, juxtaposing a collage of clashing colors against the barren landscape of the satellite. A soft creaking followed his movements as he stopped in the center of the open yard, turning his blind eye towards the ever nearing beacon of light that was the drone. It came to a hovering halt, before descending until level with Ophidian. Even though it was a simple courier drone, Ophidian could feel the cold contempt of Cizra Su-Lahn emanating from its reflective hull. A sliver appeared on its surface, from which the full terms of his contract was holographically projected. Ophidian gave the document a once over, or to be more accurate his obfuscated gaze paused over the scrolling text before giving an affirmative grunt. The drone chimed in response before ascending; waiting to be picked up by a passing ship to deliver its contract to Su-Lahn. Several more chimes, matching the proximity alert from earlier, followed its departure. The first of several thousand forms were being delivered, the ambiguous nature of Cizran bureaucracy reflected in the byzantine by-laws and statutes that were in constant flux. Lars would have to dedicate a whole section of his servers to processing all this Nvarshit for the next several cycles, feeding the pertinent information to the display in Ophidian's eyepatch. Within moments he was strapped into the cockpit of his launchship, cracking open another container as he awaited for the transgalactic loadout he kept in orbit to be properly aligned with his launch. A splash of foam fell across his lap and on to heavily stained pants, made from a repulsive magenta striped hide. How he squeezed into them is unknown, but they're the source of the soft creaking sound that followed him. "Lars, where we headed?" "Gereza, sir." Ophidian spat neon across the console. Its hydrophobic surface and Lars were nonplussed, as this was a frequent occurrence. "Why didn't you tell me I was agreeing to a job there?" "Security logs show you looking at the contract and agreeing." "You know I'm fucking blind!" Panels of atmospheric shields slid in place over the cockpit's viewports, a live feed of the space surrounding the ship projected against the interior of the shields. The time to back out had long passed and both of them knew it. Ophidian activated all primary and secondary functions of his eyepatch, synching up with the flight computer as an orb of pure energy appeared above the apex of the ship. Its surface crackled with electric fury before lurching upwards; Ophidian and his ship immediately in orbit surrounding his moonbase. With a thought, both modules of the ship interlocked and he was on his way towards Gereza. === Xo'pil paced back and forth in the small quarters he had been provided with, knowing full well that his apparent freedom was nothing more than a show. If he were to attempt to leave this place.. Well, he wouldn't attempt to. The furnishings might have meant to be comforting, but he knew the feeling of a cage. He had no clue as to how long he had been held before being transported here. Frankly, he didn't know where "here" was. He assumed from the stagnant quality to the air he was aboard a ship, but bound to where? He'd been left alone with his thoughts for some time and was far too embroiled in them to notice that Plangó had appeared within a corner of his quarters. His light seemed suffused, as if projecting himself through a fog.The form he took now was one he had reserved for the most intimate of moments between the two, vaguely bipedal in form while the swarm of his collective seemed to be in a deep trance. He gave the softest of sighs before speaking. "Oh, Little Prince, what have you done? What has gotten into that mind of yours that would let you think such heresy would go unpunished? And why at that clod's gala, at that? He couldn't appreciate the work of a master like yourself, darling Prince. You know, he wanted you put to death right then and there. We're both lucky he's dense enough to let me get you off-world. But everyone knows of your hubris, and your presence on Su-Lahn is already envisioned." "So we're on our way to Su-Lahn?" The panic was evident in his voice and he barred his teeth, an Azot tendency when threatened. "You will be. I am not, at least not aboard the Vepsis Dol. No, we're still in orbit around Q'ab. I've delayed its departure for this brief meeting. I'll be quick, so listen carefully. Say nothing to anyone and await my arrival on Su-Lahn. I'll see you through this as far as I can. I still hold much sway with the Siab." The shimmering silhouette turned away and began to fade. Before he had completely vanished, he quipped, "Oh, and Little Prince, you're quite welcome." The light in the room fluctuated midly with his disappearance, and in his place were three orbs that danced about one another in an elliptical orbit. Xo broke out into laughter as he rose then cried excitedly, "Epit'li!" === Through the meticulous manipulation of its viscera, Ua began to layer a rhythm over the percussive wave that it had produced. Its form was both conductor and instrument, and its cadence was one of creation. The strands that it had extended were severed as the first wave of mutation swept over the malignancy that had come to Ajana. The amalgamate of organic and mechanical engineering swelled and throbbed in unison to the Rite, and with each beat the flesh assumed a new form. One that expanded outward exponentially until an area twice the size of the star was encased in a pulsating womb. Ua's performance had reached a fervor unseen within the confines of this dimension in countless millenia. As its crescendo neared, a new opening in the carapace appeared. It was an approximation of an eye, ancient and terrible in its wisdom. Beneath its surface teemed an intelligence motivated by the unfathomable as it rotated its mass, turning its monstrous gaze to distant Q'ab. Existence stilled as Ua's exaltations had reached a violent apex, and an eerie calm befell the engulfed star.. only for a moment before it shook apart at a subatomic level, sloughing off to reveal an engine of empyrean design. Fully operational, the engine began its daunting task of rearranging the order of the cosmos. Collapsing in on itself, Ua shed its corporeal shackles briefly as it traveled across the expanse between Ajana and Q'ab, as pure information broadcast through the first solar windburst expelled by the reified star. It took shape once more; repugnant mass against a gleaming emerald orb. === Within the glimmering grip of a taloned hand, Ec-Shavar examined the extracted slaver implant. A detached amusement took hold; he was ensured to benefit from the abdication of Potan Mul's station, inheriting the vast swathe of resources the former Avi'lys had been notorious for. Such strategic positioning would allow for a glorious return to Su-Lahn. Complacency has taken hold amongst the Si'ab. He would root it out. But now was not the time to delve into such thoughts. Now was the time to gloat, for he also had the added pleasure of seeing disgrace befall the name of Plangó Felho'Te-vesztø. His pet's subversive outburst would see it suffer, most assuredly for an indefinite amount of time. As complacent as Su-Lahn has become, special measures were always reserved for those who sought to sow heretical thought. If only he could be there to relish in the saprifit's suffering. A familiar tug on his consciousness informed Ec-Shavar of his former protege's proximity. They found themselves within an open courtyard, part of the estate Plangó had taken over in his short sojourn on Q'ab. He turned a cold eye towards the skies, following the stream of trace energy emitted by the Vespis Dol's sankuls. The soft warmth of Plangó's form was an unusual sensation. The two stood in silence; column of luminous lepidoptera and majestic mantidae. The bent forms of Q'ush servitors rushed to and fro in the adjacent launching pad, moving the last of Plangó's possessions on board his personal shuttle. "I see you've returned from visiting the saprifit, having circumvented my commands to have it imprisoned in a Gerezan cell. Your adroitness knows no end." "With just a gentle word in the right ear, much can be accomplished. And when kind words fail, there is always the burden of the Ja'regia." Ec-Shavar's mandibles gave an audible click of contempt. "True deference can only be gained through the application of strength and fear." "How unimaginative." Plangó retorted, a stream of aquamarine passing across a fluttering field of rose. Ec-Shavar weighed his response, one that would not come as the two Cizrans attentions were turned skywards. A dark satellite had appeared, dwarfing Q'ab's moons several times over. In that instant, through the subtle exercise of their empathic organ, the Cizrans established an emotional clarity, their disparate psyches intermingling; a vestige of what they had been before the Kr'Nalus. A flash of emotion was exchanged; fear and avarice. An ill wind began to blow across Q'ab... === The serrated edge of a matte black blade slid across the exposed servos of a custodial droid; a fine mist of hydraulic fluid spraying into the air, beading down Ophidian's broad forearms as he gently set the crumpling form down. It convulsed violently then laid still, the soft whirr of its engines coming to a halt. "Sir... We're tasked with infiltrating the prison complex with minimal expenditure." "Yeah- and?" "That's the tenth droid you've destroyed." "No witnesses." "But you're going out of your way for most of them. You actually spent the past ten minutes circling back to 'get the drop on him'." "You're no fun anymore, Lars." They had entered Gereza's orbit some hours before, having decided on entering the facility through its waste disposal sector. From there he'd navigate the sewage system, working his way towards the cell block he'd been briefed on. Ophidian had spent the better part of the journey here ignoring Lars drone on and on about the type of defenses he'd come up against and what to expect. Ophidian wiped the blade dry before sheathing it as he pulled up a mini-map of his current position within the complex. The loadout was displayed against the opaque canvas of his eyepatch, and he gave it a studious glance. He took a knee as he observed two new droids gather below, the omni-directional microphone built in to his eyepatch registering their conversation audible. "I tell you, Xi-229, if I have to work another triple shift, it won't matter how much M.I.L.K they ply me with. I'm gonna fry my own servos and risk being scrapped. It'll beat having to deal with Cig-agonizing." Xi-229 gave a short chirp of agreement as it reclined against a hover-lift that was overloaded with barrels of industrial waste. "It's probably not the wisest decision to cut corners on security in a facility like this, but what do I know? As soon as we had less guards on rotation so they could bluster around that Vhadgeid and relied more on remote surveillance we started losing more and more personnel. I'll deactivate my olfactory receptors but I can still feel the stink of what's leftover after an inkling gets past the sewage defense grid and gets a hold of a carby." The Cizrans needed to run a tighter ship it seems, or maybe looser? Ophidian left the machinations of upper management to the boring types, he was meant for greater things. Greater things like throwing himself over the rail and crashing atop the two chatting synths below, crushing them with poise. "What did I just say?" Lars intoned over the comms. === Ua had arrived, and with it came the devastation of the plasma created by Ajana. Within moments, Q'ab's atmosphere began to be stripped away by the high levels of radiation being emitted by the new satellite within its orbit. A reckoning of electromagnetic fury had come to the planet and with it the refinement of another resource indispensable for the Rite. Its eye reflected upon its actions with unfeeling precision as a beam of highly condensed light erupted forth from its pupil and bored its way through Zoldnach's mountain range, exposing rich deposits of shalam. The emerald mineral began to pulse with a violent light as it was enriched by the introduction of a second energy source. Deep cracks ran through the foundations of the city, spreading like spindly fingers to throttle the Veldt. The caves that served as homes for the Q'ush began to flood. The planet thrashed in pangs of metamorphic agony while darkness waxed. Once more Ua resonated: if left unaided, Q'ab's instability would increase exponentially until the planet would erupt in Cherenkov brilliance. Such an outcome would hinder the continued operation of the Rite. A heavy lid fell over its monstrous eye as self-contained waves of bass created a mandelbrot interference pattern. From within the unfathomable depths of the fractal appeared the gross caricature of a mouth; twisted in its design. The mouths were legion and from them flowed a single note, and it was cataclysm. === "What has your wa'ali done?!" Ec-Shavar turned, hunger and shock in equal measure tainting his tone. A talon jabbed at the satellite's position, in its epicenter was an eye. One they had seen before, during Xo'pil's performance. If a simulacra of the eye held such power, what would one of such magnitude wield? Plangó was unable to respond as a scream tore through the darkening sky, followed closely by explosions from the concussive force of the eye's beam bombarding Zoldnach. The ground grew unstable while the Q'ush threw themselves upon it in prostration and uttered prayers in their hideous reptilian tongue. Ec-Shavar unfurled his diaphanous wings and rose high above the courtyard. He watched in mute admiration as destruction swept through the city. Photons glittered in the dissipating atmosphere, the blast of energy diminishing into darkness. The far-off Veldt swayed in the might of perilous gales, mimicing the zealotry of the indigenous Q'ush. Wings wrestled against the tempest, holding him aloft so that he might witness more of what true power was capable of. This was what he had sought for so long. It would be his. It was his will and reality was an extension of said will.Yet even the mightiest wills yield when met with fear; and this was terror of the unknown incarnate. The eye had sealed and in its stead arose... mouths. Too many to count. Too many to be possible. Their proportions were crude and they seemed to spin on a broken axis. Its eldritch enunciation the source of a paroxysm of terror that permeated all of Q'ab. The silence that befell the planet lasted for what felt like an eternity, only to be pierced by the roar of rushing water. === A churning began, deep beneath the surface of Q'ab's furious oceans. Tumultuous tremors wracked the ocean bed, a latticework of freshly formed fault-lines expelling super-heated shalam, its familiar emerald glow replaced with scintillating sapphire splendor. The lines widened into rivers, which begat valleys that crumbled and gave way to abyssal horror. Ua's lips came together, ending its utterance. It beheld the product of its labor, the once-emerald orb that was Q'ab refined into a lustrous sapphire, suspended within a sphere of water vapor it had brought into being. The lid of its eye lifted, and with it the sapphire surged, a second beam piercing through the surrounding cloud and shooting off into space towards distant Ganaxavori. Once more Ua shed its corporeal form, accompanying the beam on its voyage. === Plangó's form flitted through the courtyard, every organism of his being bristling whilst producing a kaleidoscopic pyrotechnic display with the intended effect of temporarily stunning whoever was foolish enough to look upon him. A strobing phantasmagoria, Plangó entered his personal shuttle and continued towards the storeroom where his personal effects had been loaded. With ever-increasing fervor, he flung his collection of sculptures and other aesthetic necessities aside with nary a thought to their condition. This continued until he found the item of his search. A painting of Su-Lahn, its contents were ever-shifting. It floated aloft until the desired image came into focus; an obfuscated chamber. A bead of light grew from the center of Plangó's being out of which was extended a hand that quickly pressed against the canvas. The frame dropped to the floor with a clatter, the supply room darkening as Plangó's form disappeared moments before the vessel fell into a crater as the city crumbled.