I do not own any of the Star Wars and DC characters and ideas represented in this work.
Cross-legged, eyes shut, black wings folded, Darth Angelicus was in a small chamber, meditating. Despite her master's teachings in the ways of the Sith, in how they utilize the burning hatred that flamed within themselves, they were no butchers or animals of pure barbarity for the sake of it. Sith employ their most powerful emotions: fear, passion, hate, desire, and anger concentrated into a blaze to be put in reserve. They safe keep that spark until the dark side demands them to unleash it, and they become a firestorm of destruction and unraveling.
Meditation was a great effort to do that, sharpening her mind, retreating to memories—victories and mistakes alike, and learning from them for future tasks.
Her master described the ancient Sith of old that came before him. Sith, like Malgus, who were nothing but sharpened blades in the dark side, honed in for war, and were said to be total storms of destruction when letting his powers bear. Or Tulak Hord, an ancient Sith warrior who was so talented that many claimed that his skills were unrivaled.
But her master stressed the point of awareness and clarity as a Sith. Bloodlust had its place in certain moments and situations; a Sith, though, must have a focused and sharpened mind in order to come up with better strategies and plans than a mind clouded and plagued with thoughts of carnage.
He told her, too, about the old Sith that preached and practiced this thought. Naga Sadow, Exar Kun, Darth Revan, Traya, and Bane had understood the dark side as a weapon of precision and focus, not a blunt instrument. Though limited by what her master could say about them, for he had not given her any texts and tools of research about them, she had come to respect them as idols of a little sort. And she had come to greatly respect her master…and fear him.
After the torture by her rapists, she came to the conclusion that her hatred of men extended to any male variety, but not exactly to Vader. Cold-blooded, strict, impatient even sometimes, and hard to understand, Vader was the only male that she had respect for, or even will for that matter. Respect, though, for the Master of the Sith order comes fear around the corner. She knows what can easily anger him and knows the outcome if he reaches that state.
She knew that there were certain things that could not be questioned, and his orders were one of them.
Her current task was relatively strange but simple at the same time. She would be his envoy, a diplomat almost, to the planet of Dominion, homeworld of the Dominators.
After months of grueling training and physical conditioning, teachings to fine-tune her mental capacities, and learning of powers beyond the material limits, her eagerness to take an actual 'test' beyond destroying training droids or surviving in a jungle was disappointing. Instead of a combat mission or an assassination of a being that threatened his empire, he had sent her to be his messenger.
She was offended and furious deeply, but she knew the price of actively questioning his motives and shut up for her own sake.
Dominators were a scientific race known for their aloofness regarding other species, emotionally and diplomatically. Very little information was available about them, say for the sparse info about their culture and the location of their homeworld, which was located in the Scutum-Centaurus Arm of the galaxy, South-west of Khund territory.
The reason why he wanted an official under his name to go to Dominion is a byproduct of his own ambitions; he wanted a clone army, and the Dominators were one of the best geneticists around, say for the Psions. It made sense, after all, if Vader's goals of control over the galaxy, and probably beyond when she came to think about it, needed resources; manpower was one of them. A much greater amount of it was required to perform such a challenge.
Though she had not spoken out directly about why she was being assigned to this particular task once he told her so, he had sensed her tentative thoughts.
He said, "I shall say my next words simply so that even you would understand them, apprentice. If this was not an important matter, I would have kept wasting more diplomats on that planet. So let this be a showing of my teachings of manipulation and guile i have taught you come to the test. Either you return with a Dominator that has accepted my proposal, or don't come back at all." He then swiftly turned around, cape slashing away, and left her in the landing pad with her assigned ship behind her.
Needless to say, failure wasn't an option.
Vader had given her a ship, an Omnicron-class attack shuttle, one of his own designs. Similar to the standard Imperial shuttles, having top dorsal fin and long wings, the ship was darker in a color of gray, had a pointed head where the cockpit resided, and had more maneuverability and technology than any other shuttle. It looked like an airborne predator of the night, with its long wings when in flight and red windows that allowed the pilot to fly.
It features the best shields, thrust engines that enable the shuttle to an impressive speed, hull armor, surveillance and communications systems, decent weapons, offensive and defensive. It also featured a cloaking system capable of evading most sophisticated detection arrays. Angelicus could tell that Vader found the plan of a clone army a great imperative and thought that her protection, and the Dominator if she obtains one, was an essential factor.
An electronic whistle entered her small but quiet room, and the voice of 11-4E, Vader's droid assistant, announced to her, "Madam Angelicus, Major Primaa has confirmed that we have just entered the Dominion Star System and will shortly be at the Dominator homeworld."
"I'll be there, 4E," she said after opening her eyes.
She went up from her meditative state and exited the small chamber. When the sliding doors opened and closed for her, 11-4E was standing outside of the door. "I hope that you had a wonderful meditation session, Madam Angelicus." The droid wishfully hoped.
As Angelicus was assigned a ship and pilot for her mission, Vader had ordered 11-4E to accompany her as well, though not specifying why. She had two theories. One was that he was supposed to help Angelicus in her efforts to have a diplomatic meeting with the Dominators. The other was that the droid could be ordered by her master to spy and collect data on Angelicus and report back to Vader if Angelicus strayed away from the main task. It's also very possible that it could be both.
If organic, Angelicus could have pried information out of 4E on why he was here, but being a machine, that wasn't going to happen, not if she would stumble upon a droid technician. And Vader would absurdly know if 4E's mainframe and databanks would have been tempered.
"I suppose I did," she responded back with a fake small smile.
"That is great to hear, Madam Angelicus," he turned towards the direction of the cockpit, "Now, if we could, we should make our way to the cockpit for our main task."
Angelicus only nodded and let 11-4E shuffle out of the small hallway and into the shuttle's cockpit. Small, the cockpit had only four seats, two in the front for piloting and two in the back for additional duties. The cockpit was filled with buzzing machines and beeping consoles for purposes of the ship's safety and operation. Entering, she saw Major Primaa, an Almeracian woman in a TIE pilot suit, at the helm and now making the ship exit hyperspace.
The dazzling tunnel beyond the ship left and out came bright white pinpoints that dotted the void. When in real space, the objective of their mission was coming into view. While Dominion had many oceans, its color was a sandy orange. Being the only celestial offspring of its star, Dominion had a ring of debris consisting of rocky bits that orbited the planet, which suggested the world had a moon or even a smaller sibling long ago.
Shortly after the shuttle left hyperspace and Dominion's features were being viewable, a warning from the ship's communications picked up a transmission signal. Major Primaa worked on the console and turned her head back to Angelicus, "I'm getting a hail from the planet; it's the Dominators; they're demanding that we answer their transmission."
"Patch it, though," Angelicus said.
"Ye,s my lady." Primaa operated the comm console and let Angelicus have a communicator so she could talk to the Dominators.
When pulling the comlink to her face, a squirmy and buggy voice was emitted out of the device. "Who is it?!" The voice sharply demanded. "State your business and reasoning for trespassing on Dominion space!"
"This is Lady Angelicus," she introduced herself in a patient and friendly tone, hiding the attitude she would have replied to but knowing the scenario, it wouldn't help her mission. "I am a sponsored envoy from Lord Emperor Vader, Emperor of the New Galactic Empire. He would like to start diplomatic relations with the Dominion."
There was a long and eerie pause, electronics only filling the gap of dialogue. The voice replied in what seemed like an eternity. "Caste Superiors never heard of this New Galactic Empire or this Vader. You could lie just to enter our world."
11-4E swilled his head toward Angelicus, "It is expected that the Dominators might not know about the Galactic Empire or most galactic occurrences; they are known for their isolation unless it directly affects them."
Angelicus covered the audio input for Comlink with her hand, gave a reprimanding and scowling look at 4E, and said through her teeth, making sure she wasn't loud enough to be heard on the other side. "You're not helping!" She uncovered the audio input and tried to retain her friendly tone with a manufactured smile. "That is why my Emperor strives for a relationship between the Galactic Empire and the Dominion. He is sure that a line between our and your states would greatly benefit both sides."
Again, a long pause ensured, and the voice responded, still unwavering. "Caste Superiors said no! There is no need for diplomatic ties between us and your Empire; Dominators are already an apex species. You shall go now!"
"Now wait a minute," her kindly voice faltered a bit, somewhat becoming desperate. "I'm sure there's some kind of services or goods that you certainly don't have. The Empire can—"
"This is not a negotiation!" The voice crudely said, "We don't want your Empire; you shall leave or be destroyed!"
"But!—"
"Time is up! We will be rid of you and your blistering annoyance, now!" The voice clicked off, and the device didn't sound out any more transmissions.
Angelicus' mouth hangs open after the Dominator leaves the conversation. Then she clenched her jaw out of hot rage, the lovely blue skin on her face turning purple, and she crushed the comlink in her hand.
"I thought that was a productive conversation." 11-4E commented as the comlink pieces fell and clattered on the floor. "Regarding known diplomatic dialogue between Dominators and any other interstellar powers, Dominators would normally engage in hostile actions before considering actual dialogue." Angelicus' head swung so fast to 4E that she might've gotten whiplash from it. Her lip curled away, and her perfect blue eyes became a radiating yellow. "…Relatively speaking," the droid said after an awkward, self-reflecting moment, what could be the droid equivalent of a 'gulp' in a throat.
The klaxon for the proximity threat alert cried out; Primaa immediately started working on the consoles as Angelicus' hateful view turned away from the droid to the situation at present. "I'm getting multiple unknown craft coming into attack paths from the planet," Primaa warned out.
"Can the cloaking system be turned on?" The Havanian asked.
Primaa confirmed with a, "Yes, Ma'am!"
"Do it."
The Major nodded and began the necessary procedures to activate the cloaking system. In a fast fashion, small dots in multiple formations have been birthed from the planet and are making their way towards the ship. In what thought could be surrounded by Dominator starfighters and be pulverized, Primaa said out loud, "Activating surveillance cloak now!"
She pressed a solid glowing red button. The engines of the ship, which were an ambient hum that could be heard within the ship, dulled and became silent. The lights within the cockpit turned into a red glow. An electrical shimmer covered the ship, and then the entire shuttle disappeared, fading into the darkness that was space.
When the cloaking action was completed, the cockpit, no, the entire ship was suspensefully quiet, not only because the noise dampeners were in effect. A faint pin can be dropped, and one can hear it.
Out from the view window, Dominator starfighters, still in a formation, were still heading towards the shuttle, but they should have been seen already if their cloak didn't work. Closing and closing, the formation passed the shuttle so close that they heard the engines of the starfighters. When passed, the sound of their engines faded, and a somewhat gust of air exited out of Angelicus' mouth in a show of relief.
Yes, the force would have warned her whether trouble was to happen or not and that she should be secure about the situation. But personally, she wasn't confident at the back of her mind; this made her feel uneasy as the formation broke apart and they began going in different paths to look for them.
The starfighters went in many directions, and by telling of the detection system presented at the controls, none of them suspected a thing. She didn't know how long they were searching for them, but it was enough for the Dominators to get impatient and send out another hailing message.
"Is it them?" Angelicus asked.
Primaa looked at the hailing transmitting code. "It is." She said,
"Is there a way we can answer without revealing our position?"
"We can if the ship's jamming equipment sends out the message," Major Primaa told Angelicus, "They wouldn't be able to pick up our location and would just see multiple fake transmitting signals positions when trying to search us."
Angelicus, made a look for the Major to do it. Primaa nodded, proceeding to activate the ship's special jamming system. "It's clear to transmit." She said after she was done with the procedure.
Angelicus got another comlink from the control console and let herself think the next words carefully. If Dominators are only interested in technology and other realms of science, then maybe the ship's special technology would have intrigued them if not made them reconsider attacking. "If you're going to run in circles all day," she said with a grin, "You might as well say that we won."
"Where are you?!" The Dominator's voice demanded with a frustrated tone.
"You're bad at playing hide and seek; didn't anyone tell you that? I can't just tell you where we are; that'll ruin the fun."
"We will find you regardless! Dominators are superior in every way, and once we find your wretched ship, we will…" The Dominator stopped his confident boasting, sounding like he was caught off guard by something beyond what his audio pickup could convey to Angelicus. "What?!" A distant Dominator voice befuddled and somewhat close to the microphone on the other end. "How could they be on one side of the system and be on another?"
Angelicus can hear other voices, too, trying to understand why their sensors are picking up multiple locations from their signals, not knowing that the shuttle's jamming array was making it seem so. "If I may interrupt," said Angelicus, "it sounds like you boys are…a little confused?"
"We are done playing this game!" The same Dominator came back to his mic and told Angelicus, "Tell us where you are, and you shall earn a fate worse than your current definition of pain!"
"Well, now, I guess the rumors are true; you all are really bad at a simple discussion. That's no way of talking to a lady, with torture and all. And that's especially not how you want to treat a lady that might give you this wonderful technology."
Alarmed, 11-4E turned his head to Angelicus in distress, "Lady Angelicus, what are you—"
Angelicus quickly shut the droid's pointless talk by placing her free hand over the droid's vocabulator. 11-4E kept talking, though it only was muffled words trying to reason with Angelicus. She continued what she was saying before 11-4E tried to interrupt her, "Now, let's just assume that your lovely caste leaders are hearing this because it sounds like they are. If Dominator technology is so advanced, then you should have picked up where we were at play, right?" There was no response, and Angelicus went on, "Wouldn't it be so great if the Dominion had this marvelous tech? After all, the Dominators could greatly improve their…science if given this great cloaking power."
There was a long pause with tangible tension. Then the Dominator broke the silence that Angelicus thought might've lasted forever. "How do we know that this isn't a trick?" He was accused. "This could be a trap for The Dominion to be vulnerable momentarily, and a secret attack occurs."
"Now there's nothing to be paranoid about," she made a reassuring statement, "partners don't backstab each other in the back, that's bad for business."
"We are not 'partners' or allies of any kind."
"We are talking in a…mostly friendly way, so that should count for something."
Again, silence followed. "We shall send landing coordinates. You will put your weapons offline at all times and any shielding down; if you don't, then we will blast you to dust."
"Ah, I see, now we're coming to a lovely understanding." She said that before the Dominator had left the connection,
Angelicus dropped her hand, letting the droid talk while Primaa received the landing and docking procedures for one of the Dominion's main city centers. "I must protest this, Lady Angelicus." 11-4E tried to express his opposing opinion openly. "Master Vader would not like you exchanging highly advanced Imperial technology to untrustworthy foreigners, and certainly without his approval."
Angelicus looked at 11-4E in a dismissive way, "In case you don't know, 4E, Vader told me either come back with a Dominator or don't come back at all."
"But it—"
"But nothing," she ended, "Our Master would understand the situation we're put in and how we are to deliver the goods he wants." She hoped that he would be understanding at least, thoug knows too well how it will go. "How wouldn't matter to him. It is a thing of either we do or don't, that is how he sees things, and that's how we'll get it."
"Madam Angelicus, the price of this ship would—"
"Would what?!" She snapped at the droid, "Be too expensive? I feel that Vader honestly expressed how important this mission is. Does he not want a clone army?"
11-4E looked away from her gaze for a moment, almost as if trying to make an answer for her. It swiveled its head back at her. "Yes, My lady."
Angelicus said, "Then I'm sure the cost of this one shuttle would be greatly overshadowed by the entire cost of a cloned army." She had enough of arguing with the droid, only going behind the co-pilot's chair and watching the ship go further into the star system and enter the gravity well of the Dominion.
The view of space outside of the cockpit window transitioned from a dotted black void to an orangish yellow sky once the ship entered the atmosphere. The Dominantor fighters made no attempt to pursue it, mainly because the cloaking feature was still on. When the ship cut across the skies of the Dominion, the planet's surface was shown.
Most of the oceans on the planet were in the color of algae green, being the home of a variety of marine life that outsider information barely could touch upon. The majority of Dominator urban centers on land were tall, massive megastructures known as Sciencities. Oval-shaped, and they propose to conduct research for the betterment of the Dominator race. Each Sciencitiy could be considered a city-state, with every center having its own unique way of thinking and performing tests, which is unethical in all known cases.
But while every Sciences performs its unusual and even cruel experiments on its own accord, it still reports to the council, which in turn reports to the Emperor of the Dominators. The scientific race is well known to separate into a caste system by the size of red dots on their foreheads. The larger the red circle, the higher the Dominator's position, and the Emperor's was reported to be the largest of them all.
If Angelicus could get to him and convince him, a special commission of a clone army created by the Dominators would be guaranteed, her master would be satisfied.
The landing coordinates the Dominators begrudgingly provided was a direct docking spot within the main conning spire of the capital city, where multiple tall skyscrapers that were Sciencities made up the urban sprawl. This meant that they would definitely meet someone important, but the risk of being trapped or killed was still there, Dominators are known for their occasional treachery.
"Turn off the cloaking system," Angelicus commanded Major Primaa, "We'll have to keep a "good image" on trust," she then heavily emphasized, "But make sure it's ready to start up if we need it; they might get second thoughts."
"Yes, my lady." Primaa started flipping switches and buttons, and the attack shuttle then returned to an actual viewable image with a shimmer.
Once fully out of the cloaking system, the shuttle was over the provided landing pad and started the descent to land. Wings folded upward, and engines powered down as repulsed lifts fired actively to bring the ship to a lowering downfall. Angelicus could already see that there was a "greeting party" waiting for them on the landing pad.
Landing down and now at their destination, it was time to meet their reluctant hosts. Angelicus told Primaa, "Stay here and have the anti-intrusion system on; who knows, they might get interested in you and have you as a little guinea pig."
Primaa had an unsure face but nodded, "Um, that wouldn't be great."
Angelicus turned to the exit and gestured for 11-4E to follow, "Come on then, we can't keep our friends waiting, now can we?"
"No, Lady Angelicus." 11-4E answered, "Past accounts of Dominator interactions have stated that Dominators are a race that detest procrastination, and there are rumors of Dominators being reduced to a cellular bio-material if they were guilty of such inability of action."
Angelicus frowned at the droid, "That was a joke, 11-4E."
"Yes, my sentient language relation module registered the attempt in humor, and I personally responded with an appropriate and necessary response."
"Just let me discuss with the Dominators before you get us all killed."
"Yes, Lady Angelicus."
Having to tell the droid to shut up, they both left the cockpit and opened the boarding ramp. The ramp lowered, and the Dominion air hit Angelicus' nostrils from a breeze. A mixture of aseptic treatments and chemical compounds was in the air and it was headache-inducing to her. The Dominators most likely filled the planet withmany chemicals and other artificial elements; a reason for this is that it might improve the Dominator gene pool, get rid of parasites and airborne bacteria, or just because they can.
Whether they liked it or not was unknown to Angelicus; to her, it was obnoxious.
After their feet stepped foot onto the metal floor that made up the landing pad, the group of Dominators were waiting for them. There were two noticeable variants of them, what clearly looked like the soldiers of their warrior caste and the main one that Angelicus needed to concern herself with, the scientists.
The soldiers were much bulkier and taller than their caste superiors, possibly due to genetic engineering, Angelicus thought. They still have the red dot on their heads, though smaller. They had black armor that showed their muscular arms land arge blaster rifles, and made no movement until their caste superiors addressed and commanded them to.
The scientists were the opposite. Their skinny and almost scrawny forms are hidden with light green robes. Their red dots, of course, were larger than the soldiers. They carried themselves in a superior way and clearly gazed at Angelicus no better than how a scientist inspects a newly discovered animal.
She walked towards the group and stopped at a comfortable distance, enough to engage and dialogue while still in range to quickly activate her lightsaber and cut them to pieces. If the situation calls for it, that is.
Before she could even start the conversation, the Dominator scientists talked amongst themselves and rather openly.
"Strange," one of the comments as he studied Angelicus, "The female's wings protruding in her back suggest she is part of the Thanagarian race, but the blue pigmentation of her skin permits a different conclusion."
One registered that one's observation and replied, "It is possible, Caste Brother, that this female is a Havanian. Have you seen the theory of Thanagarian and Havanian shared evolutionary history?"
"No, but I can assume that it is a speculation about both races being related by a common ancestor that has bifurcated due to environmental factors?"
"You are correct in that regard, Caste Brother."
"It is also possible that she could be a mutated Thanagarian, as well." A different Dominator spoke out.
"We might not be able to discover her true self if a proper dissection is put into place." Another said with a blunt closure that was indeed worrying.
"This cloned army better be worth it," Angelicus demanded in her thoughts. "That is lovely and all," she actually said to the group of Dominators staring at her, "Though that isn't why I am here."
"Yes, that seems correct," one of them said and added, "Your actual purpose would be to annoy our planet by trespassing in Dominator space and refusing to leave."
"Well then, I apologize for the drama I may have caused, and certainly, what I offer next could make up for it. But let's be fair here; diplomacy isn't your people's strong suit."
One Dominator felt the need to interject, "The action of interacting with other inferior races is a low priority for Dominators and always will be."
"I am sure that your grand, supreme intelligence warrants that conclusion." Said Angelicus with a mock seriousness, which was not picked up by the Dominators. "But let's hypothetically say that the Dominators have a need that can't be accomplished by themselves, and the Empire can; what would that pretend desire be?"
The yellow scientists twisted their heads to each other in silent conversation. One responded when they all reached the same idea in a wordless discussion. "Your cloaking device eluded our best sensors," he explained and then admitted, "And from your own words from the transmission, you are willing to trade such a powerful device."
"We are."
One Dominantar voiced an alternative, "I have a better scenario, Caste Brothers; we kill both of them and take the ship for ourselves. That way, we won't need to concern ourselves with this pestering woman."
The Dominator Scientists seemed to consider the idea with their large, hyperactive brains. That won't do, she thought. "Sure, you could do that," she said, "You could kill me, my droid, the pilot inside and get the ship with no trouble. But consider this: my master would not be pleased, and dire consequences would occur."
The warning, which was more of a promise, Angelicus called out, made the yellow scientists think on the matter more carefully. "Then, where is your emperor?" One questioned Angelicus, "To do all of this in order to make a negotiation with us, your superior may believe this to be important yet has not taken the responsibility of setting his presence here."
"A good question," Angelicus mockingly said within her. "My master is busy." She said a half-truthful answer to the Dominator. "Empire business is usually like that; you know how it is."
The Dominators looked at Angelicus with unaffected, uncaring, black eyes. "Very well," one said, accepting the invitation to talk, "Follow us and have to make sure your machine behaves itself." He gestured to the tower for Angelicus to follow.
Angelicus smiled pleasantly, "How wonderful, and of course," she looked at 11-4E with a grin, "Come on, droid, and do so contain yourself." 11-4E made no sound through his vocabulator, probably having to stay quiet out of the need for the situation.
Angelicus and 11-4E walked through the parted crowd of Dominators, who carefully studied and let them guide the two with the main spire. An arch-top, tall doorway slides two doors, and the interior of the tower is shown.
The tower's hallways were well-decorated, though some objects and art were very, very strange and almost cruel even. Some could have been past experiments, failed or otherwise. Some, maybe, specimens that the Dominators found so lowly and pathetic that they were immortalized on the wall or stand. And some were in such a strange position of size and color that it must've been amusing to Dominator's eyes, not to her Havanian eyes.
They were escorted out through the tower until one lone Dominator came out of the intersection, hurrying, his rope flapping behind him. He had a dot of a similar size to that of the rest of the scientists, so it was a colleague rather than a lower caste, Angelicus saw this.
The Dominators caught sight of the rushing Dominators and stopped the party; they grumbled out of annoyance and disgust. The lone Dominator went up the front of the group, not noticing the hints of their loathing towards him. "Fellow caste brothers!" He greeted them with much respect and eagerness, "I bring much exciting news!"
"What is it this time, Gunther?" One painfully asked, "Can you not see that we are busy?"
The Dominator named Gunther, turned his head at Angelicus and thought nothing of it, "I understand, dear brothers, but this might just as important!"
One of them snapped at him, "Spare us the worthless talk and get to the point!"
"Brothers, I understand efforts to explore the anomalous nature of Organelle X have been rendered nigh-impossible by our race," Angelicus pretended to make an appearance that made her look uncaring to their discussion; in reality, she was curious. "And despite our superior intellect, the anomaly has been a very strong, elusive mystery that escapes our investigations."
The other Dominators seemed to be fuming at his words, "But," he continued, "I have been conducting research and analysis of my resources for months and discovered a new observation that could sway a new discovery! You see, almost a year ago, the Organelle X subjects under my research acted strangely in a universal way and made a systemic reaction to an unknown event. I believe that—"
One Dominator, who bored his black, almost lifeless eyes into Gunther, raised a spidery, long, yellow finger to have the scientist. "Caste Brother, Gunther," The Dominator said in a voice that was meant to be very understating and clear. "I hope that what little amount of brain cells you have to realize the repercussions and consequences of what you are saying."
Gunther nodded, though did not catch the hint, "I do. Indeed, it's a fascinating and extraordinary thing that could change our entire views of the inner workings of the universe! Perhaps I should offer a glimpse—"
"What our fellow Caste brother is saying," Another Dominator interrupted Gunther and happened to know what the other was talking about. "Is that you have clearly violated a forbidden science that has not yet been established to be used or studied."
"But…" Gunther's black eyes widened, "But no laws in the Dominion have declared Organelle X as a prohibited science!"
"You would have also known that any theories of the natural universe that degrade into religious beliefs are false and forbidden." One warned Gunther.
"Yes, but."
"But nothing!" One shut up Gunther and pointed an accusing, scrawny finger at him. "We know your past theories on Organelle X, and what you have said could have been considered blasphemous to everything that Dominators stand for!"
"B-but!"
"We have warned you of your dangerous ideas before, and let this be your last one." One Dominator proclaimed, "All tests and actions in your laboratory will be taken to another caste member's facility, and you will be barred from any further scientific research until we and the Emperor find a suitable position for you to be in." He narrowed his eyes into slits towards Gunther, who stood blinking and mouth slacked, "Your investigations into Organelle X will cease, and no horrendous ideas will leave your mouth. Otherwise, we will send you to the Homunculi chambers, where you belong! Do you understand?!"
In defeat and demoralized, Gunther lowered his head, staring at the finely and clean polished floor. "I understand…caste brothers," he sadly submitted.
One of the Dominators swatted his hand to the side like how one would swat a fly away from them, "Get out of our sight!" Gunther obeyed somberly. He shuffled out of the way of the group, returning to the hallway he came from in the opposite manner he came across.
When the group started to trek its way to whatever direction they were taking her, Angelicus asked a question, making sure the sound of her voice was not entirely interested in the subject. "What was that about?"
"Nothing that concerns you, woman!" One Dominator growled out.
"Well, it does if I was in the middle of it." She said.
One of the group probably thought it best to supply her with some information but purposefully told her some. "Caste Brother Gunther is a fellow member of our caste. He is… a strange and unusual one, especially when he is a highly educated member of our top caste."
"What did he do to warrant such an offense?"
"Why should we tell you? Could your feeble bird mind even comprehend a higher concept?" One said that seemed more honest than scornful.
Angelicus took a much-needed breath to quell the rising feverish anger building up in her chest. A color and vivid imaginative picture entered her most intrusive thoughts, which involved activating her red lightsaber and hacking them into ribbons. She didn't ferment in that impulse to do so, only making a fake and almost labored smile of friendliness. "I am sure that such things are the better of my current intelligence."
One Dominator did provide her with some information, though the idea of his superiority lingered in the air after he finished speaking. "The theory of Organelle X is a complicated and bizarre concept that even we Dominators have trouble understanding. I doubt that simple-minded individuals and races such as yours would ever understand a single and microscopic structure."
Keeping the act in ignorance, she nodded, "How intriguing; well, perhaps one day your kind will discover its secrets."
"That is a day worth living." One replied.
When the discussion stopped on the thinly described subject, Angelicus quietly thought to herself about the matter. If it was to be believed by the way they described it, it was possible that the Dominators had some knowledge of the existence of midichlorians—the force's intermediaries.
Her master never truly explained to them in detail about the force imbued organelles compared to other subjects within the mystical arts. He only informed Angelicus that all life owes its existence to midichlorians, which lived in their cells, and that a higher count of them would enable beings like her and himself to interact and manipulate the force. Vader taught no other lessons, nor did she pursue any knowledge of the topic.
What she did know was that the outer galaxy, any galaxy for that matter, has either no knowledge of midichlorians, and if not, then they have knowledge that wouldn't go beyond their mere existence. Though being the basis of life, midichlorians were completely docile and almost resistant to attempts to learn about and control them.
If they knew what midichlorians were, scarce or otherwise, then that was a telling of their scientific genius and she could see how why Vader wanted to employ these beings. That led to a question, and a great one at that: would Vader know about their little knowledge of midichlorians and would that be the actual truth of his want of their services?
The group of Dominators, with their bigger lower caste soldiers, lead Angelicus and 11-4E to a wide and tall, circular room. Stands at the opposite end of the main door were obviously there for the Dominators to take place where they could gather and convene the utmost topics. Angelicus and 11-4E, being today's important topic for them, were shown in the middle of the great room, where the Dominators, in their tall perches, could gaze at the two below.
Angelius let her confusion be seen when she had not spotted the Dominator Emperor, for he would have the largest dot of them all and would be obviously seen. "Excuse me, but I seem to be at a loss; where's your Emperor?"
"His Supreme Intellect is not here," one replied with an attitude that more or less belittled her like a child. "His responsibilities are above your privilege of seeing him. We will listen to your trivial comments and relay them to his excellency."
Angelicus pursed her lips but had to accept what they were offering. "Fine, let's begin then, shall we?"
"You claimed that your ship's camouflage can be traded to us for a price, did you not?" One asked her.
"I did; my master can assuredly provide details about it if, of course, his wanting of your services is finished for him."
"And what service would that be?"
"A clone army," She said
The Dominators gazed at one another, whispering to the closest one after hearing what Angelicus said. "That depends on what you are asking us to clone." One explained to her.
"Almeracians specifically." She answered back.
They talked to each other in low voices again. "Almeracians are known for their robust endurance, stamina, and strength, superior to other known sentient races. The closest racial comparison is that they are similarly built to Thangarians, except for the set in wings."
"And due to their increased genetic makeup," one continued off the other, "Cloning procedures would require greater resources…" he inched his yellow hairless cranium to Angelicus, "and expenditures."
"Well, the cloaking technology my master will give you would cover that." Angelicus stated, but when she saw that the Dominators were glaring at her, she awkwardly added, "And I'm…sure that he would also provide the necessary funds or desires you like to have."
"Such as?" One questioned.
"Uh, territory," she replied with a quick answer, "Yes, any territorial expansion that the Dominion wishes to pursue will not only be seen as lawful to the Empire, but be supported as well."
That seemed to get their attention, an observant Angelicus thought. They looked to each other again, those hyper-active minds processing what they can benefit and stand to gain in Vader, helping whatever endeavors they like to accomplish. After they discussed with each other in hushed words, one answered her. "We will take your proposal to our sublime leader, and he will make the final judgment on the offer you want to grant us."
Angelicus smiled, though it was still manufactured. "Then me and my droid will happily wait here."
No other words were made when all of the leading Dominator scientists went off their podium stands and went to the giant door that was behind them. Once the doors were shut, leaving Angelicus and 11-4E to the watchful eyes of Dominator soldiers, the Sith apprentice could only collect in her thoughts.
She was more mad at herself than the irritating talk of the Dominators. In all of her time as a beautiful princess, with riches at the lift of a finger and luxuries many could only dream of, her education was minor at best. This is not to say that she didn't have horrible education services, but rather, she neglected her teachings about the decant lifestyle she was more focused on. That included the skill of negotiations and bartering. But then again, she was royalty; when does one need to barter or mediate when she could simply buy her problems away?
In simpler words, she was no diplomat.
While some of her skills have failed her, her option of control was not over. On the contrary, the dark side could provide her the means of swaying the Dominators into doing her bidding. If her natural beauty hasn't affected them, then her powers of will can.
She didn't know how long they'd been waiting, only knowing that it'd been long enough that she wanted to sit. When the back doors opened and the Dominators came out, she straightened her posture.
When the Dominators went into their positions, one gave the answer to Angelicus. "Our Superior lord has taken your leader's offer into great consideration and came to the logical conclusion that the Dominators will not pursue a partnership with your Empire."
Disbelief and shock were carved into the Sith's eyes. "What?"
"The benefit of your cloaking technology may give us an advantage," One said, "However, a clone army to a foreign power with its own agenda is a dangerous possibility to the Dominators."
"B-but…" she muttered, switching looks between Dominators, "A pact of non-aggression can be made; the Empire wouldn't attack its allies." She hoped not, at least.
"The want of a clone army says otherwise," a Dominator shot her down.
Stuck in a situation where simple talk wouldn't be able to cut it, she gathered her focus on one attempt to make the Dominators easier to accept the deal. Concentrating on all of them, pressing her will to their thoughts, she gave them all a meaningful stare and said, "You all WILL give my master a Clone army."
"That will not happen," one replied to her, "Our Emperor proclaimed so."
"You Will give my master a Clone army!"
The Dominators, in befuddled faces, looked at each other, with one eyeing 11-4E, "Is your mistress this pea-minded or deaf?"
Angelicus, astonished, made no attempt to hide it once it appeared on her features. Vader had warned her of individuals or even entire races being mostly immune to force manipulations. She had not heeded that caution, for every deployment of mind control on her part, was highly successful, especially to the male variety. Now, she understood his call for awareness, and that is leading her to the failure of her mission.
She huffed in the air as anger was boiling up in her. She barely looked the Dominators in their eyes; if she fully did, she might've just choked them. "I see…well, I guess we'll be off our way."
Before she could motion 11-4E to follow, a Dominator stopped her with his voice, "Yes, you shall go, but your ship stays."
Angelicus stopped herself from turning and glared at the Dominator, "What?" She said with an expression barely containing rage and confusion.
"Clearly, your ship is highly advanced for being an inferior race." One supplied, "But with the transgression you summoned onto us when entering our system, our Supreme Emperor thought it was fair to confiscate your shuttle for compensation. A lesser ship will be provided for your departure."
An eye twitch revealed the ire within her. Color reached her cheeks as the image of nothing but letting loose was almost brought to reality. However, if she indulged in that fantasy of spraying force lightning into the guards and using her lightsaber to cut the rest into bits, the task of ultimately bringing a Dominator would fail and she would be in a bigger predicament due to her master's wrath.
Then, an idea popped into her mind that swept aside the tantalizing prospect of killing all of them. It was one that was tricky and could not work if done incorrectly, but it was a desperate fix she had to take; otherwise a lifetime of pain would befall her.
What was a mouth of curled back lips turned into a sinister, twisted smile that the Dominators were ironically unaware of. "That sounds like an excellent plan." Her intent oozed from her lips.
One Dominator answered her, "Indeed it is." He gestured for the guards to escort her out. "Caste Lowers, take this woman out of our sight and show her to the ship." The bulky guards accepted their tasks with a bow. They ushered Angelicus and 11-4E out of the chamber.
Being escorted through the hallway as the giant doors closed behind them, 11-4E, with concern in his electronic voice, pressed a question to Angelicus, "I am not too certain whether this was the diplomatic plan you had in mind, Lady Angelicus. Master Vader would not be pleased to hear what transpired here."
Angelicus didn't verbally answer, only humming methodically to herself, with a slight smile on her face, and really replying to his worry with a casual lift of a finger that his words would need to take a pause. After putting it down and walking around in the corridors for some time, she perceived that they were far away from prying eyes and they were the only ones within that hallway.
She vented her anger in the blink of an eye, pulling out her lightsaber, casting the red blade, and striking the guard closest to her. The Dominator soldier didn't react fast enough, so his head was lobbed off his shoulders, making the neck a smoking, sizzling stump. When the other guard turned his head in the perception of the attack and had the thought of pulling out his blaster and firing it, Angelicus stopped his response by bisecting the yellow alien.
Just as both bodies fell to the floor, Angelicus kept her smile and ended her whimsical humming when she finally responded to 11-4E. "I think Vader would be just fine with what happened here." She pulled out the comlink connected to Major Primaa, "Major, things have gone…" she glanced at the smoking, dismembered bodies, "…south, I need you to leave the landing bay and activate the ship's cloak. Don't leave the planet; I'm not done yet. Make low rounds around the city; I'll tell you what to do next when I call you again."
"Yes, my lady," Primaa obediently said, and Angelicus cut off the channel.
The Havanian looked at the droid, "If we got you to a computer station, can you infiltrate their system?"
11-4E's photoreceptors whirled closer into Angelicus, "That is possible; my mistress, Lord Vader, had installed an electronic interface kit to my frame in scenarios such as this."
She swayed her head to both ends of the hallway for signs of trouble, "Then we don't have time to waste." She dashed towards one direction she picked, just slow enough for the droid to keep up. Passing several intersections and corridors, they managed to find a computer station integrated within a wall. "Make it a fast droid." She urged 11-4E as she hid herself along the cutaway that contained the station.
11-4E protruded a rod that came from one of his hands and began to remove parts of the computer. "I will do my best based on what I was provided." He began to hook up wires and rummage through cables and other parts that Angelicus wouldn't understand nor care. "Finished," he said, then added, "Infiltration in progress."
"Maybe Vader could give you a lid onto that mouth of yours." She commented with great annoyance as she kept looking for any clues that the Dominators were on to them.
After a handful of stressful seconds, 11-4E swirled his head to Angelicus at an angle that would have been deemed unnatural to most organics. "I am in their network, but the longer I am in, the more evidence of the intrusion will be noticed."
She nodded, "Look up a Dominator by the name of Gunther, and grab any details you can get."
"Searching," there was a quiet pause before he said, "There are about 176,479 Dominators located on the planet that have the name of Gunther."
"Okay…find the one that we saw earlier."
"Searching," After a couple of seconds of waiting, he said, "There are at least four confirmed Dominators that have the name of Gunther and are also within the same caste level to the one Dominator we saw."
Angelicus rubbed the sides of her temple, "Just find the one that gets more in trouble; if they're a bunch of hard-asses, I think they are, they might have a record they keep on every Dominator."
"Searching," 11-4E gave a start as if he was surprised to find the information, "I may have found him. Researcher number 05-8919, Gunther, is stationed in Science tower "Valor" on level eight. He currently has three infractions against the Ministry of—"
She held up a hand for him to stop the useless talk, "I don't need his entire life story." Angelicus sharply reprimanded. "I just need his location."
11-4E swiveled his head to an empty space of air; one of his photoreceptors whirled out a bit, then projected a blue holographic image of the capital city they were in. A section of the city was enlarged to one specific science tower. A segment of the tower was highlighted to where Gunther was, or at least was supposed to be.
Angelicus took note of the tower's location within the city and Gunther's level. "Alright, get to the ship; we'll get our little friend."
Disconnecting himself from the computer and ending the holographic construct, he cocked his head to the side out of perplexity. "I'm afraid that I am at a loss on why you have taken such attention to mister Gunther."
She shrugged, "Easy, our master wants a Dominator; he'll get one. Willingly or not. Besides, he's already in deep water with his friends; he might decide to hitch a ride with us when his fellow brothers think he's no good for them."
"And he doesn't?"
"Then he can kick dirt for all I care…and the bucket when I'm done with him."
"But, Lady Angelicus," he issued, "What about my involvement in this plan? I do not think it would be a wise decision to take me with you while you enlist, mister Gunther."
"Like I said, you head to the ship; you have your own comlink."
"Yes, but—" whatever complaint 4E was about to make, a loud alarm screamed over it. A voice cracked through the air; a Dominator was barking orders, demanding servants and lower caste members to locate the ship that they were about to steal and locate the two trespassers. She guessed that they must've also found the two "presents" for them.
She casually looked at 11-4E, "Looks like you're on the clock, droid, I would call Primaa if I were you." She turned and added, "Better hope that your creator has a self-destruct mode before they catch you."
"But Lady Angelicus!" He exclaimed
"I don't have time for your whining." She dashed out of his view, not having the patience or energy to deal with the droid. Vader is a smart man and, therefore, made a smart machine; she's sure that 11-4E could find him out. If he can't, then all well, more room on the ship then.
The only thing she heard before leaving the proximity of 11-4E was the droid saying, "Oh dear."
Running at full speed across the hallways, she ran until spotting an air vent at the lower end of a wall. A hand wave later, the vent door slid upon, and the confining space of the ventilation shaft was revealed to her. While already folded, she made her wings go inward even more to make space for the small shaft. She crawled in and closed the hatch behind. Though the air was cold to the point of freezing and metal made its claustrophobic space more so, the highly athletic body suit was reactive enough to keep her comfortably warm.
Leaving the front entrance was no option as the Dominators were aware of their escape, and security would be tightened in all directions, say for the ventilation system, which was most likely being neglected. She inched through the confined shaft, her wings folded in as far they could go, scrapping the freezing metal. The sounds of her body bumping in the metal reverberated through the shaft. If there is any more noise higher than that, then the Dominators would no doubt hear.
Several minutes of crawling passed, moving through turns when the hatch to the outside was close. When just a meter away, she commanded the force to open the hatch, and the hissing of the doors opened. A gust of wind blasted the putrid smell of the planet to her face. Managing to get out of the hatch carefully and stand along the slim edge that hugged the exterior frame of the tall tower, she took a moment to gauge her surroundings.
The staggering height of the Sciencities that made up the capital, a mist was shrouded at the lower end of their frame, casting a veil of mystery on what could possibly be down there. Nothing Angelicus would like. Once having the bearings where she was at, she made the posture for flight, extending her great black wings and then simply dropping off from the ledge.
Gliding through the air, she stayed low enough at the edge of the low fog but high enough not to enter it. The air breezed all around her, feeling it through her skin, her hair waving in it, the bristles of her feathers being tickled by it; for a moment, she didn't think of anything else, really.
It was just her and the sky.
For the longest time, the gift of flight was thought of as a right rather than a privilege, and she couldn't recall the many times she had flown through Havania's beautiful skies. Watching her mother killed, being captured by barbaric Gordanians, and tortured for months, she realized that rights could be easily taken away. Since that dark time of ultimate suffering and pain, she vowed to survive the ordeal and take what was truly her right—vengeance.
Darth Vader had and continues to show her that path, teaching her the ways of power few can embody and embrace, techniques and methods to achieve absolute victory, and having the conviction to perform the desires she wants the most. Her wish was to make the Gordanians how she was forced to suffer, those males in torment as their children and women lamenting, and as a final blow, wipe out the disgusting race as a favor to the universe.
The master of the Sith order offered her tools to heal herself by dark side energies and the current goal of vengeance; she wondered now: what shall she do when all goals are achieved, all thirst of her personal vendettas fulfilled? The eradication of the Gordanians seemed achievable by the rising galactic power of Vader's Empire. If they are to be expunged, as Vader appeared to have a quarrel with them, her revenge would be complete, and so would her motivation for power.
What would she do afterward, return to Havania? Stay as an apprentice under her master's grip? Leave all of this to an absolute peaceful exile? As alluring as those options and alternate ways may be, she knew that they could never be made to fruition when she heavily dissected them while flying through the air.
Her people, likely knowing what forceful deflowering she endured, couldn't accept her as the beautiful and innocent Princess she once was. Knowing her beauty-obsessed people, they would only see her as damaged goods, notwithstanding her healing abilities.
Being under the tutelage of Darth Vader has given her more confidence, insight, and strength never thought possible, yet she knew that she could achieve more from the Sith arts. But her master has kept the more powerful and most coveted knowledge and techniques to himself to secure his rule over the order. There had been times of contemplation of whether or not she could be strong enough to overtake him and become Sith master, but as time went on, that seemed more like a faint dream than an actual possibility.
He was too powerful to even consider the dedicated thought of challenging him, less he senses it and delivered a punishment far more ruthless and painful than the months of torment by her reptile torturers.
If only she could obtain a force user of great potential, one that Vader isn't aware of yet, powerful enough for her to use and control. She can train them and use their full might to challenge Vader over Sith mastery once the time has come. Alas, that was a slim prospect and an extremely dangerous one. It was not a guarantee Vader wouldn't detect this acolyte while the trainee could even end up betraying Angelicus and take her position.
She came to realize that to stay within the Dark Lords of the Sith is to be under Vader's shadow forever.
The last outcome was just to disappear, leave her position as a Sith, and live the rest of her life in some quiet, remote world. Darth Angelicus scoffed at the notion. How could she be foolish enough to think that she could just give up all her power and knowledge, not use her gorgeous looks to get what she wants? She would be betraying herself if she wasted all of her potential. Sincerely dismissing the idea of self-exile at first, when nothing left but her mind and the gliding sky she was in, the more it got less mindless and more enticing.
The life of a decadent, exotic royal was over. By the start, she was content in living that fantasy for the rest of her life until her capture. A "normal life" taken from her; what replaced it was a mind declaring vengeance, to her grave or otherwise. But when that is fulfilled, can she have another chance of a "normal life"? Can she live solemnly in a primitive yet calm and restful world in order to gain some semblance of an ordinary life?
The more she thought about it, the more regret started to pour into her heart. Was all over this even worth it, to take vengeance when what was lost that could never be truly recovered? Could more violence and such rage even create a dream? What could have been if she hadn't pledged her loyalty to the Sith and the Dark Side?
Was she now regretting being a Sith at all?
…
She quickly shook those destructive thoughts away by a shake of her head as if they were parasites clinging to her. "No!" She yelled at her conscience, saying such beliefs were weak and unwanted. Of course, she doesn't regret joining the Sith; how can she? The chaotic and violent paths were the best and best ways for change to occur, as Vader explained. What was stolen may not be regained, but she will attain more than what could have possibly been lost.
How could she regret anything when what she was doing was only practicing her natural birthright? The only regretful thing she should have is not being able to develop these powers before the meeting with Vader, which was the most traumatic event in her life.
No, she was a Sith Lord; regret and yearning were not in her vocabulary. There was no going back because there was no "back" that she could return to…right?
Angelicus had to end her conflicted musings when the sciencity that held Gunther came to view, and she flew upward to the level that he was in. Moving to the section where his lab should be, she perched herself on a slim ledge and activated her lightsaber.
***
Within the barely lit enclosure that was his laboratory, Gunther did what he could that might pass on as stress-releasing methods for a Dominator, which was observing his past test subjects that were suspended in amniotic fluids in giant test tubes.
What could have been a simple visit to the main sciencity and a discussion with his fellow caste brothers had led to a great disappointment and maybe a great punishment. He had not conducted his private research on Organelle X in part of any unlawful action or defilement of their most beloved protocols, rather, it was a pursuit to learn about the universe's greatest secrets.
He could not say why his brothers in the council made research on Organelle X so taboo, but he suspected it was due to past failures. None past Dominators have successfully breached the mystery that surrounded Organelle X, and this, he thought, may have led to jealousy and frustration to any Dominator that would have progressed where others were unfruitful.
But because out of his mind of not conforming to the principles of Dominion society, he would be punished, if not outright killed, for this transgression would be one out of a barely tolerated few. Worst yet, his research could be confiscated, and another Dominator could use his work and pass it on as his own. A treacherous act, he denounced, but not a single action could be carried out that could be taken of his own accord.
Though busy reviewing the life support systems of one of his test tanks, he heard a noise at the far end of his laboratory. He thought of nothing at first, but the sound got louder. It wasn't until he recognized it as some sort of plasma torch cutting through metal, its slicing hiss echoing around his lab.
Investigating and ceasing his observations, he carried himself through the organized columns of green glowing subject tanks to decipher the anomalous noise. Coming closer to it, he detected a red glow just from a corner of the lab. Before turning around a nearby tank, the cutting stopped with the glow dimming and a loud metallic thud followed by a bright cone of light birthed from the area.
When he came to see what happened with his very eyes, he was transfixed and stunned. Someone—an intruder—had broken into his laboratory. The figure, being brightened by the circular, smoking hole in the wall that released the day's light into the laboratory, was a non-dominator. Gunther recognized that he had seen this person before and realized that it was the young blue avian woman he had seen earlier with his caste brothers.
In a black, form-fitting, flexible body suit, she had dark bel, boots in the same color as the rest of her outfit. Her blue skin, long black hair, and set of wings on her back that were typical of her Havanian physiology. The strange detail was the red energy blade held in her hand; it had to be a meter long and just advanced enough to be able to cut through alloyed metal, as it did to the tower's frame.
The bar of humming, crimson energy retracted back to the hilt the Havanian was holding, and she clipped it to her belt. Gunther was speechless but soon became angry. "You! Do you have the slightest idea of the damage you've done?!" She didn't reply, only staring at Gunther, without the red glow of the plasma blade; the light cast from the hole only highlighted her figure but not her front. This didn't stop Gunther's rant. "That hole is gonna come out of my funding!" he pointed at the gaping plasma scorched hole. "Caste Superiors will punish me just for having it."
Again, she glared at Gunther with great quiet, creating suspense that irritated him. " Are you deaf or something?!" He barked. "That's it. I'm calling security, and they'll be–ACK!"
A sudden pressure choked Gunther by the throat. His hands instinctively went to his neck, trying to find the source of the obstruction, but he was immediately stupefied when no tangible obstruction was felt. The effort of fleeing was also stopped short when he was picked up in the air by an unseen force as if he was levitating by an anti-gravity device.
His feet kicked and rocked to find a purchase, but that was in vain, too. In a panic motion, his eyes, which were also bulging out, went to the Havanian, who had a smile of enjoyment with the addition of a hand that was half closed. He theorized that she was a telepath of sorts and was using telekinesis to make his invisible strangulation happen. Other theories, questions, and conjectures would have been made, but the pain gripping his throat and the stoppage of air were making that difficult.
Blackness slowly started to close in his perception. Nothing but desperate gasps went past his mouth. The Havanian moved in but at a relaxed pace. When she was several arm lengths away, she said to the choking Gunther, "Read my lips, know-it-all; you're going to listen to everything I tell you and talk when I let you. Because I'm done listening to your kind babble on about nonsense."
Gunther's ability to resist the temptation of following orders from the alien was genuine, but he folded when more pressure was applied to his throat. Not only that, pressure strangled his entire body, bringing in a new sensation of pain brought onto him. It was like he was put in the suffocating hold of many fathoms under the sea.
The grip on his body and throat, becoming too unbearable to endure, forced him to concede to her will. "I—I…I," a muffled voice huffed out, trying to voice his surrender.
Playfully she said, "I can't hear you."
"Yes!" He marshaled the word, and he dropped to the ground, the hold onto his neck and body releasing.
Onto the sterile floor in a crumbled position, he gasped in large amounts of air. The deadly woman's feet entered his vision, and he looked up to see her looking down on him with an expression similar to that of one finding a disgusting bug in their way.
The Dominator, when finding out that an intruder trespassed onto his precious laboratory, was furious. But after being telekinetically strangled, that confidence and fuming state washed away; fear was getting into him tightly. He can only move up to his knees, asking carefully to the Havanian, "W-What…what do you want?" His needle-like teeth clattered for a quick moment.
The Avian woman, still giving the downed and defenseless Gunther an unimpressed look, replied, "I want to give you an offer," she studied him up and down, "If you're capable of doing so."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Angelicus, and you're that Dominator that I saw earlier, Gunther, is it?"
He nodded with great care. "I am; why did you—" The pressure returned to his throat again, though less intense and strong.
He clasped his neck as the woman gave him a mocking, disappointed look. "Tsk tsk tsk, I told you the rules of the game: I talk, you listen, you let that big mouth of yours open when I say so." She said, then stopped the invisible strangulation. Letting go of his neck, his breathing became easier once more. He didn't dare speak again in such a manner. After a brief pause of tense silence, she asked a question, "Tell me, Gunther, do you love working here?"
Gunther craned his neck to the side out of confusion; he was thinking of saying, "You did all of this to ask me that?" But he was wise not to commit to it. Giving actual thought to the question, he answered, "I love my work," then he grew bitter thinking about his caste brothers and their rigid rules, "But my brothers make it harder to work in my beloved pursuits."
She smiled, "Would you like to change that?"
Gunther didn't answer immediately, "Yes."
Angelicus took her gaze from Gunther and onto a nearby subject tank, its glow of amniotic fluid going against her blue skin. She studied it, not making any real and seeable emotion to the animal cast by the clear but thick liquid. "What do you know about your…Organelle X." She asked.
Gunther, near speechless, risked his life with a question. "You are…interested in Organelle X?"
"No," she replied bluntly and coldly, "But someone might, humor me."
"Well," he managed to pull himself up from the floor and interlock his hands in front of him in a relaxed way. "They are organelles, microscopic organisms, somewhat similar to Mitochondria, but are key differences in their biology. From the current studies, they habit all known forms of life within cells; flora and fauna share the same Organelle X, regardless of race, species, and gender. The Organelle resides in the cell, in the low thousands from all test subjects I gathered."
He broadly gestured. "My work here for some time is dedicated to their research. They have been very difficult to explore, you see. They are everywhere, yet the most advanced technology is required to visualize them. The most interesting part is the way they behave and their composition. Efforts to chemically control or extract them out of the test subjects' blood had led to failure. The strangest anomaly is that the Organelle doesn't seem to be made up of any known organic material."
His fascination crept into his voice, and his caution towards the woman slightly faltered. "Once the zygote forms, that is when the Organelles appear, with no trace of where or how they came to be. And when the organism's life ceases for its expiration, the Organelles seem to disappear with no traces or signs either." During all of this time, Angelicus never looked back at Gunther. While he explained the mysterious organisms, she still studied floating test animals in the cylinder jar.
"For centuries," Gunther continued, "My caste had a theory that suggested that the Organelles are made up of unknown but highly reactive gasses that form just as quickly as they do fade away." He turned his head around to his lab, "But to my work within the past, I have made my own theory that suggests they are energy based—bound by a single source that creates them during the birth of an organism and returns to said source when that organism dies."
Thinking about his research and the closed-minded views of his brothers made Gunther ball his fists in rage. "My caste brothers have seen this way of thinking as preposterous."
"How so?" she asked without facing Gunther.
"I explained to them that it was possible that this source somehow commands them in a way that enables them to act accordingly. There could be an external force to which the organelles are tied. The way that the Organelles act so defiantly and strangely against attempts to influence made me believe that they are thinking creatures themselves or this source is thinking too."
Angelicus nodded slowly, turning to him and putting a hand on her hip. "Interesting stuff, Gunther. Do you know how to clone?"
"Well, of course, I have conducted several commissions of cloning and genetic manipulation within the recent years; my most significant work was cloning beings from the Durla sta—" Angelicus bored her eyes into Gunther, and he was thankful that he got the message. "I…yes."
"Can you clone Almeracians, or any race for that matter?"
Gunther brought a slender hand onto his chin for a rubbing thought. "Well, perhaps, given enough time and proper equipment."
"I have a deal for you, Gunther." She proposed, "and one you can't refuse." Gunther piqued up, though not sure if that was idiomatic talk or that she was really telling him that he couldn't refuse. "I'm from the New Galactic Empire," she explained, "And my master, Emperor Vader, is looking for a cloner, specifically to make him a clone army."
"That is a large undertaking…" he commented.
"It is," she said, "And a large job that will get someone like you a large payout," she paused then further supplied, "If that is what you want."
"What…I want?" A mystified Gunther voiced.
In an alluring, almost seductive, she stepped forward towards him, "Anything you want; what does a Dominator want in the whole universe?" She asked herself as Gunther's mind was wandering off in revelry. "Wealth?" She said, "Power?…no, a whole planet to be used as their little testing playground? Emperor of all the Dominion?"
Gunther gazed at an unspecified space, lost in a vision of great grandeur and fantasy. To be the Emperor of all Dominators, dressed in the finest robes, to have the largest red dot crowned on his face was almost delusional at first. But going deeper into that dream, that could happen. Yes, Gunther, Emperor of the Dominators, Grand ruler of the Dominion, and the great architect of science and technology amongst all sentient life. That does sound nice, doesn't it?
Not only would he be the Emperor, but he would guide the Dominant race to great glory. Pushing the limits of science and thought to the limits.
While the idea of being Emperor is interesting, to say the least, did this Vader really have resources capable of doing so? If she asked Almeracians to be cloned, that meant either Vader had conquered them or that was their ruler by blood or marriage. In either case, he had to be powerful regardless to be so and possibly had the ability to put Gunther on the Dominion throne.
"Yes," he said to Angelicus after he completed his musings, "Emperor is the most likely desire I wish to have."
"Consider it done," she lifted a finger for a pause, "When you deliver my master a clone army. Then, he can put you on a nice and comfy throne on his planet."
"If your Emperor can provide the best equipment and fulfill his promise, then I will accept your invitation."
"That's the spirit; now, quickly, we have to go."
A gasp left his mouth as he went between looking at her and his laboratory. "But my work here?!" He gestured to his lab, "These are highly sensitive and confidential material; I cannot just leave them."
She shrugged, "The Emperor will give you whatever crap you need," Said Angelicus with no empathy.
He barely held back the want of pointing at her, "I can't leave! They will surely confiscate my research and use it for their own purposes; then your Emperor will have bigger problems in the future!"
Angelicus, glaring at Gunther, twisted her face. "Fine." She looked up at the lab's high ceiling. "Are those the fire suppression systems?"
Gunther moved his head in the same direction, spotting the fire system that sprayed flame-damping foam in case of a fire. They lined themselves at strategic points on the ceiling. "Yes, of course, why—"
Angelicus, not giving Gunther any attention, put her head upwards and closed it into a fist. The rounded fire system units were then crushed like paper, metal whining, then making several sparks that made some light rain down to the lab floor. Just when the sparks landed and were about to fade, Angelicus spread her hands to the side.
The sparks would have gone out, but they began to glow brighter and more violent. What little specks of light turned into tiny flames, and then they began to burn into cracking fires. Suddenly, they flew dangerously high, consuming the lab in a hot inferno. The blaze brought a great luminance, chewing away the dark ,gloomy space into an angry firestorm.
Smoke quickly built up, and it was hard for Gunther to see and breathe. The lab equipment was eaten by the flames, test tubes engulfed in the carnage ruptured, the contents being burnt to cinder.
Before Gunther could so much as exclaim the barbarity of the act, he was grabbed by Angelicus by the collar and dragged through a stretch of space that was not in flames. The area of safety led to the hole where Angelicus broke in, smoke that had nowhere else to go, poured out to the hole. She motioned to the hole, "You first."
Realizing that staying here was a fiery death in the making, he didn't argue and climbed into the hole. When he did and poked his head first, he happened to see the horrible height of the tower he was in, the ground way below being concealed by a mist. Still, he knew how long the science city he was in, and he caved into his fears of height.
Climbed back out and stuttered to Angelicus, "I-I-I c-can't."
"Why not?" Angelicus' calm demeanor didn't help his anxiety.
He pointed at the whole, "I-I don't t-think I c-can g-go out there." His needle teeth clattered.
She rolled her eyes and raised her hand. Gunther immediately levitated off the ground and went through the hole. A couple of meters out of the hole he was suspended in the air, with no way to get back down other than her telekinesis. He screamed and waved his legs and arms around, trying to find anything to grab onto. He was thrown backward, though not through the hole again. He was placed onto a very slim edge of the tower where Angelicus perched herself like a bird, agility at her sides and heights a meaningless concept to her.
Gunther, his skin becoming a bland yellow, hugged the walls of the tower as if his life depended on it. The smoke continued to filter out from the hole, reaching into the sky.
Angelicus pulled out a small comm device from her belt and placed it next to her mouth, "Major, it's Angelicus here. Bring the ship around by the tower's south side."
"Of course, My lady". A female voice answered.
His duo of hearts pumping against his chest, body shaking to the point where if a moment of uncontrolled tremble happened, it would be a great fall indeed.
Angelicus turned his head to the side, spotting something within her vision. Gunther did his best to turn ever so slightly in the direction. He saw other sciencity towers but nothing of note. Then, as if it were a phantom, a ship with large wings and a top dorsal thin appeared into existence. Shimmering with energy that faded away after the ship was in full view. A boarding ramp lowered itself under the red windowed cockpit.
Gunther looked at Angelicus, "H-H-How are w-we going t-to—" She secured Gunther by the shoulder with one uncannily firm grip, spread her wings outward, and dived towards the hovering ship.
He screamed and cursed to himself, even though, in hindsight, it wasn't a long distance or a great fall. She glided them up to the boarding and perched them both. The ramp moved up, and she dropped the scientist. Gunther gripped the cold ramp floor with great relief. The ramp closes, and Gunther can feel the ship move again. Inside the cloaking shuttle, they were in a compartmental room capable enough to fit several humanoid beings. Within the room was a multi-limbed droid that greeted them in a friendly voice, "Hello, Mister Gunther, I am 11-4E; I do hope that Lady Angelicus' efforts to bring aboard the ship were more successful than my own efforts."
Barely able to, he shakily got up to his feet, "Is there…a restroom in this shuttle?" He asked in an almost sickly voice.
"Of course!" One limb pointed to a corner of the compartment. "The ship's refresher is right there; do make sure to—" With deliberate urgency, Gunther rushed out from 11-4E's and Angelicus' proximity, went to the small restroom, and slammed the door shut behind him, emptying his stomach in the commode.
11-4E swiveled his head to Angelicus concernedly. "It would be a problem if Gunther has a case of acrophobia. If there are other hindrances that can be considered great annoyance, Master Vader will see that as a problem."
Angelicus heaved her shoulders as she turned to walk into the cockpit, "Well, that would be his problem; I did my job." She walked into the cockpit, the window showing that the ship had now entered space without the knowledge of the Dominators.
***
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