Star Forge - Chapter 12

"Kaplan!" I yelled into my comms. "Swing around and pick me up."

"On the way," Kaplan replied.

I could hear the engine roar in the background. The Warthog plowed through worker drones, who simply walked around their dead companions. A couple made a detour to carry the dead bodies away. They weren't worried about us anymore. The ants had won. That and they weren't fighters, their orders were to scavenge, not attack.

The Warthog skidded to a stop in front of me. I hopped into the open seat and waved him to move.

"You got the message too?" One asked.

I nodded. The crew checked their weapons as we headed back to camp. Kaplan didn't bother to slow down, plowing through the drones without a care. Shuttles from different camps with their guns blazing. The soldiers stacked up trying to reach the ships only to be blasted back down.

"Red," Bo's voice came over the comms. "Get here fast, dank ferrik. The ants breached the first line."

"We're coming," I replied.

I felt an odd sense of calm as we continued as the landscape blurred by.

"Just to be clear," I said. "This doesn't count as a third date."

Bo laughed between blaster shots.

"Just get back and I'll make taking off your armor worth it," Bo replied.

The base camp came into view. For a moment I thought the ground had been set ablaze in the fighting. That was until I noticed the sheen of light on an ant carapace. There was an army of bugs swarming the camp. Tunnels dotted the stretch of land. We could see the automated defenses of the second fence working to keep the tide back. Bo and her Nite Owls were stationed on the landing pad to cover the last of the crew as the entered the shuttle. It looked like the ship was already packed full of people. Overseers mingled among the flood of soldiers. Their weapons were a slapdash mix of salvaged blasters and some sort of spear-launcher. The spears themselves appeared to be made from shaped shards of discarded carapace.

Bo saw us approaching just as the second fence went down.

"I'm sorry," Bo said.

"Don't be," I gave a flat chuckle. "Dinner is on you."

Kaplan hit the brakes. The Warthog skidded to a stop a short distance away from the end of the swarm. Bo and the Nite Owls kept blasting until the doors on the shuttle closed. The ants began to stack up once more in an attempt to cover the ship. One let loose with the turret aiming at the growing pile. It slowed them down long enough for the shuttle to get enough altitude to use their guns effectively.

"I always knew I'd die fighting," Queen muttered.

"Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur," I replied, then translated. "Today is a good day for someone else to die."

"Kaplan," One ordered as the tech stared at the swarm. "Get us closer to those buildings. We'll make our stand there."

The modular structures were mostly untouched, a pillar of calm in the middle of the chaos. Either the ants had already dealt with whoever was in them, or they were empty. Regardless, we could use them to hold out a bit longer. If we were lucky they would have security protocols that would lock down the units. That would keep the ants out long enough for us to come up with a better plan or for them to lose interest.

He nodded and angled the Warthog toward a stack of three. One adjusted his aim as we moved closer. His shots from the turret started to have a visible effect. Soldier ants crunched under the wheels without a care until we caught the attention of an Overseer.

I put a three-round burst through its head, but it was too late. At least some of its new orders went through to the soldiers. A group turned their attention to us. Spears bounced off the side of the Warthog. The turret went quiet, and I heard Medic curse. Out of the corner of my eye I saw One's body fall out of the Warthog with at least a dozen spears piercing his torso.

Kaplan stomped on the accelerator. The Warthog bucked as we crunched through the ranks of the soldier ants. We wouldn't have made any progress if they hadn't dismissed the buildings. Kaplan only had to deal with the edge of the swarm rather. Queen, Medic, and Rain fired at anything that moved while I tried to help clear a path by focusing my shots in front of us.

I thought we were going to make it until something hit the side of my helmet hard enough to make my head spin. The Warthog pitched to the side; a wheel caught on one of the many ants and sent us into a cartwheel. Time froze in a single, incredibly clear moment as the force of the motion kept me in my seat. A spear had hit the side of my helmet. It probably would have knocked me out if it hadn't been slowed by Kaplan's torso. My expanded range of vision told me that the trio in the back were still alive. Medic held the gnarled mess that was her left arm tight against her chest. Queen and Rain had both drawn pistols at some point. Their rifles floated in front of them with the red 'empty' light on display.

Time resumed, slowly at first, before it returned to speed. Medic was flung from the back. She disappeared a moment later. Queen grabbed onto the base of the turret with one hand while the other locked onto the hook of Rain's armor. We rode the twirling vehicle until it came to a rough stop. It somehow landed upright, though it had lost a wheel at some point and the turret was a twisted mess. I fell out of the seat with the remaining two following suit almost immediately.

My head stopped spinning in time to tell me the buildings were a short distance away. Smoke bellowed from the engine block. Even my compromised mental faculties knew that we needed to move. My rifle had vanished at some point in the ride. I decided against pulling a weapon. Instead, I grabbed the hooks on the back of my companions' armor and dragged them to the closest building.

We covered the last stretch of distance faster than expected. The Warthog exploded, launching us forward. I slammed into the side of the building shortly before the two used me to break their fall. Queen shook off my grip to open the door. Rain was yelling curses at the bugs as she fired her blaster. Her leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, but I didn't think she noticed yet. I used both hands to pull her into the building and Queen shut it once we were clear.

"Now what?" Queen snapped at me.

The bugs started to pound on the door a few seconds later. I scanned the interior. The place was a mess of overturned chairs, toppled desks, and partially disassembled tech of some sort. It lacked windows, but there was another door. It probably went to the toilet, fresher as they called it here. I scooped Rain into a bridal carry and made my way over to closed door.

A keycard popped out of my gauntlet, and I swiped it along the door controls.

"Hiding in the fresher isn't what I had in mind," Queen muttered.

I opened the door. It slid open to show my Warehouse. Rain stared around in shock at it as I stepped through.

"Come on," I motioned for Queen to join us.

She made her way over. To her credit she didn't pause. I closed the door once she was inside and locked it, ending the connection. It changed shape from the thin, bland fresher door to a classic wooden one that was large enough to fit a piano in without issue.

"Where are we?" Queen asked. "What is this? What are you?"

The Warehouse had led us to the entry room of the Mansion. It was a mixture of old money décor from Earth and Star Wars sleek. The place had adapted to fit the setting without losing the charm, which was a nice touch.

"My place," I replied.

I carried Rain over to a grandfather clock. The hands spun until both were pointing up. They came to a spot with a click. The clock smoothly slid to the side to reveal an elevator.

"Are you coming?" I asked.

Queen snapped out of her trance and joined us in the elevator. The door closed once she was inside. A Muzak version of Beat It started playing as the elevator took us down. Queen and Rain searched for the source while I shook my head. At least it wasn't Nirvana, that would just be insulting.

"Keep your mask on until we're cleared," I ordered.

The ride ended in a gentle stop. It let out a little ding as the doors opened. The mansion décor had been replaced with an underground base fit for a mad scientist. I carried Rain over to the med-center. Thankfully, it had a medical droid as well. There was a horizontal bacta-tank that was open as well as some machinery that I didn't recognize.

"Greetings, Sir," the droid greeted as I approached. "Please set the patient on the table."

I did. The droid scanned her.

"This will help with the pain," the droid said as a needle emerged from its hand.

Rain didn't even flinch at the shot. Her eyes closed a moment later. I caught her before she knocked her head on the table.

"We need to be scanned for residual pheromones," I told the droid.

It spared a glance at me and Queen.

"Clear," the droid answered.

Queen ripped off her mask. If Rain looked like a young Michelle Rodriguez then Queen was the spitting image of Milla Jovovich as Leeloo, complete with orange hair and all. Whatever words she was about to say caught in her throat as the droid set Rain's broken leg. The snap of bone being put back into place made my stomach flop a little.

"Her clothing will need to be removed," the droid said. "Please give her privacy."

I nodded and led Queen over to the vehicle bay where the wrecked remains of the Warthog had appeared at some point. It wasn't smoking anymore giving us a full view of the multiple spots were spears had hit the vehicle, though they were now empty. The twisted remains of my rifle had been placed across the seats.

[WARTHOG REPAIR TIME: 71:59:47]
[BR55HB REPAIR TIME: 5:59: 47]

"Tell me," Queen narrowed her eyes at me. "What is going on?"

"Would you believe it's Force bullshit?" I asked.

"Bullshit?" She asked.

"It's an ancient and varied technique that has been lost to the ages," I said. "Similar to Fuckery."

Queen cocked her head to the side.

"E chu ta," she said after a moment.

"Rude," I shook my head. "I don't really know. It's just something I can do."

I sighed, then released the seal on my helmet. It felt odd to take it off, but I needed some non-recycled air. Her eyes went wide at my exposed head.

"What are you?" She whispered.

"It's complicated," I replied.

"Where are we then?" Queen waved a hand around at the place.

"My mansion," I replied. "It's a kind of liminal space outside of the known galaxy. I can use my key to open a door here. Locking it broke the connection."

"That makes no sense," Queen pinched the bridge of her nose.

I nodded.

"Follow me," I said. "There should be a room for you to rest and get a shower."

[Mountain Out of an Ant Hill]
+100 FP
[Peace to the Fallen]
+100 FP
[That'll Buff Out]
+100 FP
[Tell You What's Wrong With It]
+100 FP
[Ain't Got No Gas In It]
+100 FP
[Nuke It From Orbit]
+100 FP
[Bug Hunt]
+100 FP
[Balance: 1350 Forge Points]
[Roll – Bank – Shop]

ROLL.

[COST: 150 FP]
[ITEM: Mister Caffeinator Deluxe 4000]
[This is the ultimate coffee/espresso/latte/milkshake/panini press/bakery machine. Anything you've ever ordered from a coffee shop can be made here in seconds with the press of a button. All food and drinks are as delicious as physically possible and the caffeine from this machine magically has none of the side effects that caffeine usually has. It also never runs out or requires power, though the machine will start making you pay exorbitant prices if you start selling its products. Interns sold separately.]

I could got for a cup of coffee.

PURCHASE. ROLL.

[COST: 500]
[ITEM: Crate of Beskar]
[Beskar also known as Mandalorian Iron is as valuable and rare as it is strong. It's used primarily for the forging Mandalorian armor resulting in a suit that renders its wearer all but immune to any blaster fire short of a ships cannon (as well as giving an extreme resistance to the blade of a lightsaber), the crate you have contains enough Beskar to outfit a full battalion with full Armor]

PURCHASE. Fucking purchase. A battalion? That was two-hundred people? All I needed was a Forge and someone that knew how to work it. Two good rolls. Would it be too much to do another?

"What are you doing?" Queen asked.

"Lost in thought," I replied.

[Balance: 500 Forge Points]

~

The mansion had twelve bedrooms, six upstairs and another six on the ground level, each one had an en-suite. There was also a study, dining room, and empty library. If Rain and Queen decided to stay that meant that the commandos would need to bunk together once I woke them up. If not, then that would be fifteen rooms for twenty-seven since I doubted I would be sleeping here. I wasn't wearing my helmet, so I had to do the math mentally. Basically, two per room with a couple lucky bastards getting a solo. Or I could turn the library into a barracks, though that felt like a dick move.

Having twenty-seven more Sith to work with brought up the idea to get the species back in the mix. The natural way would take too long and mean that any female commandos would be out of rotation during the pregnancy. Not to mention raising the children. I also wasn't going to make it a requirement that they breed, that felt wrong. Clones via mixing genetic samples would probably be the best.

I entered the master bedroom. It was luxurious without being ridiculous. I never understood why someone would need a room big enough for a swimming pool and have their bed in the center. The Earth inspiration was definitely clear here. All of the furniture was styled pseudo-Victorian, except for the bed which was big enough to comfortably fit four people. What really caught my eye was the armor stands. Instead of one humanoid manikin there were different sections for each piece. A strange looking rotating coat-hanger thing stood beside them. It took me a moment to realize that it was for my undersuit.

The process of taking off my armor was faster than expected. Thankfully, the undersuit had a release command that changed it from a second skin to a baggy sack. I hung the loose black suit on of the provided hooks. It slowly started to rotate while being bathed in a blue light.

It was a bit of a shock to find that I was now completely nude. The underclothes I was wearing had been replaced by the bodysuit. I took advantage of the peace and quiet to do a quick inspection of my body. Now that I thought about it, I haven't been naked since I got here. I didn't need to use the bathroom either. It was probably the same reason that I was fluent in every language I'd come across. Even after being in my armor for who knows how long, I didn't stink.

Regardless, I wanted a shower. The bathroom was, in a word, luxurious. There was a steam room, full sized bathtub, a separate jacuzzi, and a multi-head shower. The water pressure was excellent, and the heat was consistent. Well worth the price of admission.

Enough stalling. I turned my attention to my equipment. Thankfully, my reproductive organs appeared to be mostly the same as a human. I wasn't circumcised, which made sense considering I was in another galaxy. Curiosity got the better of me and I stroked myself hard. There were firm ribbed lines along the shaft that followed the veins, but the head looked the same. The size was probably an average six inches if I had to guess.

"Ribbed for her pleasure," I chuckled.

I washed my hands and continued on with the shower. It didn't matter if I didn't need to get clean, this felt amazing. I was about to wash my hair when I realized that there wasn't anyone here to interrupt me from more rolls.

ROLL.

[COST: 100 FP]
[PERK: Impressive Specimen]
[If you follow things closer to what the game offers, you’ll need to keep up with multiple partners over the entire day. Fortunately, you’re more than able to do this. You have great sexual stamina, allowing you to go on for several hours and reaching orgasm several times before needing a break. Even if you’re left fully emptied, a good night of sleep will always be more than enough to fully replenish your sexual stamina. As a bonus, if you want to, you can also temporarily share this benefit with your partners, allowing them to accompany you. Furthermore, your sexual fluids will also be delicious. Your cock will also be ... impressive, both in taste and appearance.]

That's it, someone was definitely watching. Why would I need to take this? This body was athletic, had plenty of stamina, and my equipment was fine.

PURCHASE.

I did another thorough inspection of my upgrades. The weight between my legs shifted. I stroked myself hard again. My cock was a good few inches longer and thicker. Thankfully, this body was a grower instead of a shower. That would have made my armor uncomfortable. I finished up after another wash of my hands.

There was a towel waiting for me when I got out. It wasn't there when I got in, but I wasn't going to argue. I wrapped it around my waist as I walked back into the bedroom. My armor had a slight sheen to it. I moved closer to see that each piece had been covered by some sort of energy shield. The dents and charred patches were slowly being repaired, but it completely ignored the paint. My helmet had a golf ball sized dent on the side just above the visor. No wonder that spear made my head spin.

"Focus on structural integrity. I like the character it adds," I wasn't sure who I was talking to, but I figured it would do something.

The problem now was that I didn't have anything to wear beyond the towel. I walked over to the closet to find a selection of clothes that appeared to be in my size. Not a single one was casual wear. They were suits of various styles, a couple of tuxedos, and they were all Earth styles. The closest thing that could work was a black Nehru suit. There was a red one with subtle gold embroidery, but I didn't think that it would work considering my skin was almost the same shade. I would need to buy some clothes in local styles for the rare times I would be out of my armor.

Maybe I could get lucky with a roll.

ROLL.

[COST : 300 FP]
[ITEM: Harlequin Mask]
[A disturbing rendition of a harlequin’s mask, suited for combat; substantially increases the wearer’s health when worn, and relieves a large amount of stress when striking an enemy- showing the inherent sadism that the mask’s design displays.]

DISMISS.

[BALANCE: 400 Forge Points]

I needed to figure out what to do now. The Warehouse was connected to the door of my quarters on the ship. That would lead to a conversation with my crew that would be rough. I had no idea what to tell them or if I could even tell them the truth. Star Wars was weird, but a person being reincarnated from another dimension felt a bit out of character. Though the Extended Universe did get pretty wild at some points. Then there was the conundrum of Rain and Queen. I couldn't just let them out in the wider galaxy knowing some of the things I could do, but coming here was the best option at the time.

It felt strange walking around without my armor. The weight was comforting and not having my helmet was like being half-blind. I'd check in on Queen then head down to see how Rain was healing. All things considered, I would rather have these problems than being bug food.