[chaos nods, and indicates the bay.] Please, make yourself comfortable.
[He punches in some more commands on his desk terminal, then takes a seat himself. He waits for Grievous to get settled before putting on the headset; Grievous won't be needing one.]
Constructing neural landscape. Dive system operational. Diving in three, two, one...
[And, just like that, they're somewhere else. Somewhere from Grievous' memories, populated by friends he once knew. Visible nearby is something that is clearly not supposed to be there - a black monolith, jagged and warped, as out of place as it's possible to be. It appears to be made of some sort of crystal, though they can see something moving inside as they approach.]
This should be one of those damaged spots I warned you about, General. I don't know what's inside; it should respond to your touch.
[It was a strange sensation to be within one's own memories. A little disorienting and Grievous took a moment to observe. Yes, there were those he recognised here; fleeting images of Kaleesh warriors he'd fought alongside and also led into battles. They were not his closest, though. Not his family nor... No, he couldn't think of her now. There was that jagged crystal to distract him. He frowns at it. It felt at once deadly and fragile - as if it would shatter and the shards be lethal. But he would not be afraid...]
This a corruption.
[He growls the words and reaches out to the monolith. It seems to shudder at his approach - although whether that is a warning of danger or from somehow knowing it doesn't belong and much be destroyed, he isn't sure.]
[It's both - as soon as Grievous touches the monolith, it shatters, revealing a figure inside. The form it takes is... strange, to chaos. Clearly a humanoid alien of some description, but wearing robes and holding a short cylinder of some arcane design. It doesn't take him very long to determine it's a beam saber of some kind, though, once the figure ignites it. A red one.]
[As the figure leaps toward Grievous, chaos thrusts a fist at it, knocking it backwards with a blast of concentrated spiritual energy.]
[Grievous was reaching for his own lightsabers but chaos was already there. The cyborg was temporarily startled; confused. There were mixed emotions surging at the sight of the figure as he realised who it may be.]
It is... my Master.
[Even as he says the words, they leave a bitter taste in his throat. This isn't right. He should bow down to nobody. He remembers his own words of what this presence was: a corruption. Something that didn't belong here in his mind. They needed to be stricken from his thoughts. Perhaps then the rest will be clear.]
This must be destroyed...
[The words were a growl and the light sabers came out, suddenly four of them as his extra arms unlocked and he advanced on the hooded creature. There was a bone chilling laugh from the phantom Sith and a blast of something like lightning knocked Grievous back briefly. But this was his domain; his mind, he knew that - and with another determined growl he advances again on the threat, wielding his deadly sabers. This time he blocks the next lightning strike and there is soon a clash of sabers. For a while he struggles to simply match the blows but that determination is strong and he lets it feed his strength - of mind as much as body. He keeps up an aggressive assault against the corruption and in a flurry of striking green and blue light the cloaked figure seems to be cut to ribbons and abruptly vanishes with a shriek. Is it truly gone...? Grievous looks around angrily as if expecting a further attack.]
[chaos frowns thoughtfully. He called the robed figure 'master'. Could this have been a trap left behind by the one who altered the general's brain? If so, it wasn't the first time chaos had encountered something similar - but Albedo's meddling had been rather more intricate, more... delicate, if such a word could be applied to the violation of another's mind. This person, whoever they had been, had all the subtlety of a toddler by comparison. When the shade is defeated, the structure regains its original form - one of Grievous' original memories.]
If this was a good example of the kind of alterations they did to your mind, tracking them down won't be terribly difficult. Destroying them, on the other hand, might get more dangerous as we go. Be careful.
[Another monolith is visible in the near distance.]
[The newly regained structure - the memories - bring back a wave of feelings to Grievous. He can better recall the comradeship among his specially selected group of warriors and how they'd conquered many enemies. Protected his people. His world. Much of the finer details had been taken from his mind in order to focus him on the Separatist cause and the Jedi. Focus on Dooku and Sidious' plans for him and the war and galaxy at large. His more personal ideals and thoughts had been stripped away, to leave him with his anger and single-minded loyalty. Yes, destroying this shade had helped but there were more battles... More manipulation and corruption within.]
They will pay for this intrusion.
[His threat was sincere, although the payment may only be by the shadows in here and not the reality back home or even here in the city. He had agreed to some physical alterations to spare himself a death that he felt was not worthy of a warrior - however strict instructions not to tamper with his brain had been pointedly ignored and blockages put into place in order for him not to turn on those who had ruined his mind. He begins striding toward the next fight, all four lightsabers clutched tightly in his clawed hands.]
[Distances in the landscape of the mind are often warped out of all proportion to appearances. So it is with this second structure - though it appears a fair distance away, they reach it almost before Grievous finishes his train of thought.]
[chaos nods to the general, taking a ready stance. If another fight is forthcoming, he will be ready - but not all alterations will be so forthright. This one, for instance, will draw them inside, and present itself as a sort of maze - one with pitfalls and other traps, and its very own 'minotaur', yet another lightsaber-wielding shade.]
[The maze is unexpected but Grievous had not been deified in his homeworld for nothing. With tactics and a little patience, he negotiated the traps and turns, possibly quicker and more expertly than many others would have. Known for his brute force in battle, sometimes his strategic nature could be overlooked but these smarts were coming into play with both here. His single-minded purpose to rid himself of these intruders along with his surprising agility also aided him here and soon they were at the centre and another cloaked figure. Another red saber but the hood this time was brown instead of black. There was no laughter from this one. Just a grim silence and a more elegant form. Grievous also recognised it and his fury rose. He launched at the figure with another furious flurry of strikes - but they deftly avoided every blow then vanished but in their place were shadowy aliens. He knew these too. The ones who performed their surgery on him. The rage increased and he cut them down with angry, guttural sounds. They fell easily but still there was the matter of the evasive lightsaber user. Then he appeared as if diving from above. Grievous just managed to deflect the blow before it fell. This was his teacher and the Count had taught Grievous many different styles of Jedi fighting. He called upon many of them now and the combat was longer; more difficult, but eventually Grievous dealt a sweeping death blow and this shade also vanished, silently this time. The General coughed and shook with the effort, struggling to regain his composure.]
[chaos' aid this time comes in the form of healing. He cannot restore the parts of Grievous' body that are absent, but he can repair what is left - and here, in the general's mind, more of those are starting to form. It seems like each time he destroys one of these cloaked fiends, some part of his 'body' is made whole again. chaos will let him discover this for himself, though. Once the shade is defeated, the maze collapses and is replaced by another memory construct, this one larger than the last.]
[The healing helps bolster him and he straightens up and gives chaos a nod of appreciation. He turns toward the reconstruction. Yes... His father. His family. His wives... His children... He shudders as things come flooding back, both good and bad memories. But something very important is still missing. He knows what it is. Who it is. She is as elusive now as she was when her body was lost to the sea after that terrible battle. He can remember her and knows what she means to him but the details are what is lost; the depth of his feelings. He can feel the surface of them but can't break underneath it.]
There must be another.
[He turns, searching. It seems this most important memory is harder to find as if it has been very deeply buried - and for good reason. Her loss had driven his despair and his hatred. He had destroyed civilisations to avenge her. His perpetual grief had given him a new identity. One purpose. Dooku and Sidious had twisted all of this, along with his loyalty to his own people, to their own ends - while diminishing those original thoughts and emotions in the process. Maybe now they would appear again and together. Or would he have to defeat others? The Old Republic. The Jedi. The Separatist allies who had also used him. All of them? Something else? He didn't know but he wanted to find this enemy. He believed it may be the last, but also of course it would be the most difficult to overcome.]
[chaos nods, and scans the horizon. It appears this one really is buried, since it's not immediately visible.]
We're going to have to search for it. You know your mind better than I - you should be able to find some trace of it, even if it's been hidden completely from casual view.
[How does one hide a gigantic megalith? Disguise it as something else. Much more care was taken in concealing this alteration, but it can still be found - indeed, Grievous should have little trouble spotting it, if he clearly remembers the original layout of the area they're in. His mental landscape mirrors the one he spent most of the formative parts of his life in, as many people's minds do.]
[They walk through jungle, it seems for a long time. Nothing catches his eye. They head onward and come to a beach. The sight of it brings a sharp pain to Grievous' heart and he winces but presses onward across the sand. There is a vast ocean beyond it; the sight not only brings back memories of his own downfall - the terrible crash that almost destroyed his body - but also of her. There. It must be in there. He strides forward, into the waves. Once waist high in the water, he halts, sensing more than seeing. Reaching out and concentrating there is a sharply grating sound as if of metal tearing into metal and the monolith they seek rises slowly from the depths of the water. Grievous lays a hand on it and winces again as if it has burned him but he doesn't pull away.]
It is here. How do I break into it?
[He may be speaking aloud as much as asking chaos for advice. No forms are appearing as quickly as they had with the other two. No visible enemies. But he suspects what they may be. Not the Sith this time or anyone involved with the Clone Wars. He senses the original enemy of his world. The Huk. The giant insect-like creatures who invaded and enslaved his home and his people. The Sith may have corrupted his body but the Huk stole his soul and destroyed his heart, by killing his figurative other half - his soulmate. Nobody else could ever take her place. The Huk had murdered her - despite her prowess as a warrior - and she had sunk beneath the sea, lost forever. The grief alone had nearly killed him but then he'd channeled it toward that enemy and devastated their ranks and their worlds. For her; for himself; for his people. His triumphs had been so great the Huk had begged the Republic for help. In turn they sent the Jedi and started the path that had led to all of this manipulation against him. Ultimately, he had to blame the Huk for it all. Even as his mind dwelt on these thoughts, shadowy figures began to form. Huge, seven foot tall praying mantis-like beings in the misty shapes that began to appear. Grievous takes a step back, weapons again at the ready.]
[More and more of those figures appear - a veritable army of them. But even as they appear, a change comes over the monolith - its shell thins, a little more with each new batch.]
We're going to have to defeat them all to break the shell. Something else hides within - what, I cannot tell. Whatever it is, it's powerful beyond the measure of the ones you've faced before.
[His assessment delivered, chaos goes on the offensive. This will be Grievous' first real look at his combat abilities - and they are formidable. The form of his enemies seems not to matter; he moves through them like a scythe through wheat, wielding no weapon but his fists and feet. But every enemy he strikes seems to crumble away, leaving no trace that it was ever there. If there weren't so bloody many of them, he might even have been able to destroy them all alone. But human hurricane or not, the sheer numbers are overwhelming, and it's not long before he's surrounded.]
[With a furious growl, Grievous also launches at the enemy. The vast army of Huk that underestimated his determination and power in the past and here they would again, he thinks. All his lightsabers were out, slashing brutally through the hoard. In his world, he had done so with rifle and sword. Later, on other worlds, he had used the sabers and they were a fearsome weapon, particularly in his expert hand. He could not use the Force but he was a highly skilled warrior even without it. He notices chaos becoming overwhelmed and heads that way, cutting many of the Huk into pieces. Their bodies littered the area but there were still so many. He stops one from attempting to impale chaos with its deadly claws, dismembering it easily. Was there an end to this onslaught?]
[chaos doesn't have time to do more than nod his thanks to Grievous. He lunches forward, striking a great brute of a Huk in the abdomen with both palms to both knock it back and cause its back to explode with a chi wave. Given a moment's breathing room, he bows his head, then leaps upward, helped in this by the snap of a pair of wings - where did those come from?]
Angel Blow!
[A storm of light beams rains down on the Huk, wiping out a huge swath of them - very nearly all of them, on the side he was facing. That just leaves a little over half of their numbers, and the monolith's shell is definitely showing signs of wear. chaos lands and immediately goes to a kneeling position, momentarily winded.]
[Grievous is thinking he needs to reassess his thinking of chaos as merely a doctor or healer with these ongoing displays of power. Clearly there was also a warrior there and he was impressed - but there was no time for comment or praise right now. Grievous cuts a path back to the monolith, destroying any Huk who approach it as if he had to defend it. His determination makes their numbers dwindle, his mental strength increasing and maybe helping him more than even the physical blows to the enemy. The monolith is crumbling.]
[To be fair, they are inside of Grievous' mindscape. chaos may be able to brush off any such displays as only possible under circumstances like that. He'd be lying if he did, though.]
[He follows Grievous back to the monolith, his wings nowhere in sight. Had they ever been anything more than a brief gathering of power? Whatever they were, it's clear he's not going to be able to use that ability again immediately. Not with his power freshly divided, at least. Give him a few months to get back his full 'normal' strength.]
[The structure has been progressively decaying as every Huk is struck down and every enemy is weaker than the last until they all begin fading away to be nothing more dangerous than ghosts who cannot touch the living. Grievous focuses his attention completely on the monolith which is partially melted and the rest just crumbling to dust - spreading out over the water and there was so much of it that the ocean in his mind actually began drying up. This gave him hope. He could find her. He could see her. That one thing he had missed and that had driven him into further despair. That one last glimpse that he never got...]
She's here.
[His voice was gruff yet hopeful and he began desperately tearing down the monolith. More and more was revealed and it glowed with a blinding white light until that was all that was left. He reached for that light and it abruptly vanished with a sound that was partly a whisper but partly a wail. The noise also dissolved swiftly as if carried away by the wind and what was left was.... nothing. Emptiness. Whatever Grievous had been expecting to see, it wasn't here. But of course she could not be there... The ocean had swallowed her up. What he wanted to see was not a part of his memory since it hadn't happened. With a despairing sound, Grievous dropped to his knees, his fists rising to the air then slamming on the newly formed ground. He couldn't see her but a flood of memories did now hit him. All of her. All of that past. It temporarily crippled him; blinded him and this huge cyborg let out a sob, seemingly crushed by his emotions.]
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[Action]
[His tone is grim with an underlying trace of poetic sadness. He puts a clawed hand over his chest, as if clutching at a heartfelt pain.]
But I must be whole again.
[The lack of Jedi here has made his priorities shift.]
I will deal with any of these dangers or traps. It is a worthwhile risk.
[Action]
[He punches in some more commands on his desk terminal, then takes a seat himself. He waits for Grievous to get settled before putting on the headset; Grievous won't be needing one.]
Constructing neural landscape. Dive system operational. Diving in three, two, one...
[And, just like that, they're somewhere else. Somewhere from Grievous' memories, populated by friends he once knew. Visible nearby is something that is clearly not supposed to be there - a black monolith, jagged and warped, as out of place as it's possible to be. It appears to be made of some sort of crystal, though they can see something moving inside as they approach.]
This should be one of those damaged spots I warned you about, General. I don't know what's inside; it should respond to your touch.
[Action]
This a corruption.
[He growls the words and reaches out to the monolith. It seems to shudder at his approach - although whether that is a warning of danger or from somehow knowing it doesn't belong and much be destroyed, he isn't sure.]
[Action evermore]
[As the figure leaps toward Grievous, chaos thrusts a fist at it, knocking it backwards with a blast of concentrated spiritual energy.]
Be careful. This is no ordinary foe.
no subject
It is... my Master.
[Even as he says the words, they leave a bitter taste in his throat. This isn't right. He should bow down to nobody. He remembers his own words of what this presence was: a corruption. Something that didn't belong here in his mind. They needed to be stricken from his thoughts. Perhaps then the rest will be clear.]
This must be destroyed...
[The words were a growl and the light sabers came out, suddenly four of them as his extra arms unlocked and he advanced on the hooded creature. There was a bone chilling laugh from the phantom Sith and a blast of something like lightning knocked Grievous back briefly. But this was his domain; his mind, he knew that - and with another determined growl he advances again on the threat, wielding his deadly sabers. This time he blocks the next lightning strike and there is soon a clash of sabers. For a while he struggles to simply match the blows but that determination is strong and he lets it feed his strength - of mind as much as body. He keeps up an aggressive assault against the corruption and in a flurry of striking green and blue light the cloaked figure seems to be cut to ribbons and abruptly vanishes with a shriek. Is it truly gone...? Grievous looks around angrily as if expecting a further attack.]
no subject
If this was a good example of the kind of alterations they did to your mind, tracking them down won't be terribly difficult. Destroying them, on the other hand, might get more dangerous as we go. Be careful.
[Another monolith is visible in the near distance.]
no subject
They will pay for this intrusion.
[His threat was sincere, although the payment may only be by the shadows in here and not the reality back home or even here in the city. He had agreed to some physical alterations to spare himself a death that he felt was not worthy of a warrior - however strict instructions not to tamper with his brain had been pointedly ignored and blockages put into place in order for him not to turn on those who had ruined his mind. He begins striding toward the next fight, all four lightsabers clutched tightly in his clawed hands.]
no subject
[chaos nods to the general, taking a ready stance. If another fight is forthcoming, he will be ready - but not all alterations will be so forthright. This one, for instance, will draw them inside, and present itself as a sort of maze - one with pitfalls and other traps, and its very own 'minotaur', yet another lightsaber-wielding shade.]
no subject
no subject
no subject
There must be another.
[He turns, searching. It seems this most important memory is harder to find as if it has been very deeply buried - and for good reason. Her loss had driven his despair and his hatred. He had destroyed civilisations to avenge her. His perpetual grief had given him a new identity. One purpose. Dooku and Sidious had twisted all of this, along with his loyalty to his own people, to their own ends - while diminishing those original thoughts and emotions in the process. Maybe now they would appear again and together. Or would he have to defeat others? The Old Republic. The Jedi. The Separatist allies who had also used him. All of them? Something else? He didn't know but he wanted to find this enemy. He believed it may be the last, but also of course it would be the most difficult to overcome.]
no subject
We're going to have to search for it. You know your mind better than I - you should be able to find some trace of it, even if it's been hidden completely from casual view.
[How does one hide a gigantic megalith? Disguise it as something else. Much more care was taken in concealing this alteration, but it can still be found - indeed, Grievous should have little trouble spotting it, if he clearly remembers the original layout of the area they're in. His mental landscape mirrors the one he spent most of the formative parts of his life in, as many people's minds do.]
no subject
It is here. How do I break into it?
[He may be speaking aloud as much as asking chaos for advice. No forms are appearing as quickly as they had with the other two. No visible enemies. But he suspects what they may be. Not the Sith this time or anyone involved with the Clone Wars. He senses the original enemy of his world. The Huk. The giant insect-like creatures who invaded and enslaved his home and his people. The Sith may have corrupted his body but the Huk stole his soul and destroyed his heart, by killing his figurative other half - his soulmate. Nobody else could ever take her place. The Huk had murdered her - despite her prowess as a warrior - and she had sunk beneath the sea, lost forever. The grief alone had nearly killed him but then he'd channeled it toward that enemy and devastated their ranks and their worlds. For her; for himself; for his people. His triumphs had been so great the Huk had begged the Republic for help. In turn they sent the Jedi and started the path that had led to all of this manipulation against him. Ultimately, he had to blame the Huk for it all. Even as his mind dwelt on these thoughts, shadowy figures began to form. Huge, seven foot tall praying mantis-like beings in the misty shapes that began to appear. Grievous takes a step back, weapons again at the ready.]
no subject
We're going to have to defeat them all to break the shell. Something else hides within - what, I cannot tell. Whatever it is, it's powerful beyond the measure of the ones you've faced before.
[His assessment delivered, chaos goes on the offensive. This will be Grievous' first real look at his combat abilities - and they are formidable. The form of his enemies seems not to matter; he moves through them like a scythe through wheat, wielding no weapon but his fists and feet. But every enemy he strikes seems to crumble away, leaving no trace that it was ever there. If there weren't so bloody many of them, he might even have been able to destroy them all alone. But human hurricane or not, the sheer numbers are overwhelming, and it's not long before he's surrounded.]
no subject
no subject
Angel Blow!
[A storm of light beams rains down on the Huk, wiping out a huge swath of them - very nearly all of them, on the side he was facing. That just leaves a little over half of their numbers, and the monolith's shell is definitely showing signs of wear. chaos lands and immediately goes to a kneeling position, momentarily winded.]
no subject
no subject
[He follows Grievous back to the monolith, his wings nowhere in sight. Had they ever been anything more than a brief gathering of power? Whatever they were, it's clear he's not going to be able to use that ability again immediately. Not with his power freshly divided, at least. Give him a few months to get back his full 'normal' strength.]
no subject
She's here.
[His voice was gruff yet hopeful and he began desperately tearing down the monolith. More and more was revealed and it glowed with a blinding white light until that was all that was left. He reached for that light and it abruptly vanished with a sound that was partly a whisper but partly a wail. The noise also dissolved swiftly as if carried away by the wind and what was left was.... nothing. Emptiness. Whatever Grievous had been expecting to see, it wasn't here. But of course she could not be there... The ocean had swallowed her up. What he wanted to see was not a part of his memory since it hadn't happened. With a despairing sound, Grievous dropped to his knees, his fists rising to the air then slamming on the newly formed ground. He couldn't see her but a flood of memories did now hit him. All of her. All of that past. It temporarily crippled him; blinded him and this huge cyborg let out a sob, seemingly crushed by his emotions.]