01-01-2018, 07:10 PM
When Kopaka next awoke, he found himself comfortably nested in a cushy, purple colored bedroom of some sort. His frigid fuselage had been deposited on a pile of soft, velvet pillows which had, by this point, become stiff and frosty. By this fact, Kopaka gauged that he had been in this location for a little under an hour before regaining his senses. As far as holding cells went, the Toa found it to be entirely lacking, primarily by dint of the fact that he could simply walk out of the small nave into a larger conservatory. Song birds twittered peacefully in hydroponic gardens, and a large pool trickled playfully in the center of this common area. Kopaka had to double check his navigation software to confirm that he was, indeed, still in the depths of Coruscant's Tier Five. There was nobody around at the moment, which did not put biomech any more at ease. He also noted that he was without sword or shield. If these pacifist lemmings thought that made him less dangerous, they were sorely mistaken.
After some more wandering around the serene hideout of the Brotherhood of Water, Kopaka heard the muffled sound of light conversation coming from a room across the living area. He called upon the Kanohi Akaku and peered through the walls to see a little over a dozen Brotherhood members seated at a dining table, sample various food and drink. If Kopaka had been human, he may have been slightly surprised by the fact that they were all stark naked, but his relatively low knowledge of human domestic behavior simply inferred that this was, perhaps normal. Michael Valentine Smith was seated at the head of the table, and seemed to perk up slightly when Kopaka's x-ray vision landed on his Vitruvian features. The target Prime's eyes flickered to meet Kopaka's gaze, even through the solid wall. Smith spoke in a hushed tone to his cultists before excusing himself and entering the atrium of trees, birds and water.
"Glad to see that you're awake! Would you please join us for dinner? There is plenty left, and–"
Under normal circumstances, Kopaka's ferocious curiosity would have tempted to find out more about this situation and the cult that seemed intent on welcoming their earstwhile assassin into their home with open arms. As it stood, the Darkness was hungry, and Kopaka wasted no time in dashing towards the Smith human, summoning a whorl of elemental power into his right hand. A sharp lance of ice shrieked towards Smith's face, which the human man effortlessly sidestepped with a resigned expression on his face.
"Please Kopaka. Many have tried before, and all have failed. They are part of the Brotherhood now, for they saw the beauty of Grokking and our Truth. If you would please just–" Smith tried before sidestepping another scything wave of ice from the Toa. Kopaka uttered a half-feral snarl, skidded on one foot and sprinted back towards the squirrely Prime. An attempted left hook saw Smith leaping straight up into the trees, scattering a small flock of twittering garden birds. A blast of ice struck the tree trunk, and Kopaka drove his foot into the inflicted bark, snapping the entire trunk in to and sending the young tree creaking and snapping into the trickling pool.
The fight went on like this for some time, with Valentine Smith effortlessly evading every single attack from Kopaka, no matter how cunning or brutal. Rage set in, then, frenzy, and finally fatigue. By the time Kopaka had nearly depleted his elemental reserves, the entire atrium was caked in layers of ice and dusty snow. Kopaka panted heavily at the far end of the room from Smith, leering at him with infected, yellow eyes.
"Please...Kopaka. Your anger and pain hurt me as well. Let us grok together and find healing. If you would just..."
Kopaka stopped listening to the pacifist heresy almost immediately, and tried to center his breathing, regaining focus and awareness. Smith was a canny opponent, that much was certain. Despite the fact that finding him had been easy, Kopaka could see why his indirect tactics made him nearly impossible to capture. He wielded his pacifism as a weapon, allowing the enemy to wear themselves down to bone weariness, to the point they had no choice but to be brainwashed by his cheerful and placid words. But pacifism, like any weapon, could be turned against its wielder. There was a quick crackle of light and static as Kopaka switched to the Kanohi Matatu. The Mask of Telekinesis flared to life instantly as Kopaka stretched his hand out towards the kitchen where the rest of the mess hall had been watching. A young girl shrieked abruptly as she was yanked through the air into the Toa's frigid grasp. Kopaka held her by the calf, letting her dangle upside down over the pool of water as he glanced up at Michael Valentine Smith. For the first time, the biomech could detect a hint of concern on Smith's face.
"You will come with me, quietly, or I will destroy this sanctuary and every living thing within it." the Toa said in a hoarse whisper, allowing the woman's black, flaxen hair to swirl about in the pool water. Michael looked down at the girl, who swallowed hard and summoned her disgusting courage.
"No Michael. Do not let him take you. You must spread the word of God. All must share water. I...I am ready to die for the Brotherhood."
"I do not think you are." Kopaka said with a sadistic glee. He abruptly dunked the woman's upper body under the surface of the pool and shot a flicker of elemental energy into the water, encasing her head, arms and shoulders in a heavy chunk of ice. The Toa unceremoniously flung her to the frosted ground, and let her naked, floundering body flop in the agony of asphyxiation as she struggled in vain to free herself from the entombing rime. Before she had even finished her final, sickening twitches, Kopaka stretched out his hand again towards the assembled cultists. This time an older man tried to run slightly before he too was dragged towards the towering biomech, his hands finding no purchase on he slick, icy ground.
"What about this one Smith? Do you think he will be so willing to martyr himself to your half-rate nudist colony?" Kopaka chided. He swiftly grabbed the man's neck and held him aloft, turning around so that Michael Smith could see the pained face as the senior wheezed for breath. Kopaka smiled inwardly. There was just something so satisfying about grabbing a human neck and just squeezing until the blood flowed. By the time the older man's mustached head was falling of its vertebrae, the cultists were all audibly looking at Michael Smith to do something, anything. Their fear was intoxicating. Valentine Smith sighed.
"I am sorry, Brother. I grokked wrongly. You must be removed." Smith said in an apologetic tone. With all the swiftness of Apollo, the target Prime dashed across the surface of the water straight towards Kopaka, an incapacitating hand stretched out. This time, however, the Toa was ready for him. The Kanohi Hau flashed upon his pitted and rusted face, just as the telepathically sedative hand made contact with the biomech's face. It was too late, however. A thin veil of blue energy protected the Toa from the direct attack, however nonlethal it may have been. It was clear to see that Michael Smith, despite being a preeminent telepath and manipulator, was not a warrior. Kopaka grabbed the pale hand on his face and immediately snapped it with the twist of his own metallic arm. The cultists collectively gasped in horror as the Toa proceeded to drive a hard protosteel knee into the boy's gut, sending him staggering to the floor. Another swift kick sent the target Prime sliding across the slush into a far wall. Kopaka absentmindedly sent a final blast of ice at the crumpled heap of a Prime, coating him in a thick, heavy blanket of blue ice. The crushing weight of the entombing rime made it hard for Smith to breath, and the boy rapidly lost consciousness.
Small sobs escaped the remaining eleven cultists, who all huddled together in shock, as if suddenly aware of their own nudity and vulnerability. The moment Smith's eyes rolled back, Kopaka felt a familiar weight settle onto his back. The Toa drew his sword and shield and examined them closely, making sure they were unharmed by whatever trick Smith had pulled.
"Well, so there!" one of the cultists choked out, clutching a younger female Twi'lek close to him. "You got the man you came for. Just go. Please." he stuttered, eyes wide with panic. Kopaka ran the edge of his ice sword along the rim of the shield, creating a chilling ring throughout the now cold and dead atrium.
"It is true that this was the bargain I offered. Unfortunately..." Kopaka said, turning on his heel and beginning to march towards the huddling group that now began to shift and nudge around like a nervous flock of sheep.
"That bargain was never officially accepted."
As the biomech dashed towards the suddenly scattering herd of screaming cultists, he idly wondered how many of the clustered secondaries he could cut through in a single stroke.
The answer was three and a half.
"So...after acquiring the target and disposing of the remaining dissidents, I returned to EPD headquarters." Kopaka said flatly.
"And...that's...when you decided to throw Smith through my window." Brath retorted.
"Yes." Kopaka said in a tone that dared the bureaucratic officer to pursue this line of inquiry. Brath did not. He had noticed that the room had slowly been becoming almost unbearably cold; no doubt caused intentionally by the Prime sitting across from him. Everything about Kopaka's story and entrance back into the EPD indicated that he was making power plays. The Empire had to be careful with this sort of Prime in their employ, but there was no denying the Toa's sheer brutality. If nothing else, he would be an excellent disposable goon that could easily spread fear where the Empire needed it most. Brath tapped a few buttons on his datapad then nodded at the glowering Toa.
"Alright Kopaka. Give me a few minutes to review your application with the other officers on station, and we'll let you know." Brath said, scooting out of the chair and half-jogging out of the refrigerated holding cell. He could feel the biomech's eyes on him, even after he left the gray, steel cell...
After some more wandering around the serene hideout of the Brotherhood of Water, Kopaka heard the muffled sound of light conversation coming from a room across the living area. He called upon the Kanohi Akaku and peered through the walls to see a little over a dozen Brotherhood members seated at a dining table, sample various food and drink. If Kopaka had been human, he may have been slightly surprised by the fact that they were all stark naked, but his relatively low knowledge of human domestic behavior simply inferred that this was, perhaps normal. Michael Valentine Smith was seated at the head of the table, and seemed to perk up slightly when Kopaka's x-ray vision landed on his Vitruvian features. The target Prime's eyes flickered to meet Kopaka's gaze, even through the solid wall. Smith spoke in a hushed tone to his cultists before excusing himself and entering the atrium of trees, birds and water.
"Glad to see that you're awake! Would you please join us for dinner? There is plenty left, and–"
Under normal circumstances, Kopaka's ferocious curiosity would have tempted to find out more about this situation and the cult that seemed intent on welcoming their earstwhile assassin into their home with open arms. As it stood, the Darkness was hungry, and Kopaka wasted no time in dashing towards the Smith human, summoning a whorl of elemental power into his right hand. A sharp lance of ice shrieked towards Smith's face, which the human man effortlessly sidestepped with a resigned expression on his face.
"Please Kopaka. Many have tried before, and all have failed. They are part of the Brotherhood now, for they saw the beauty of Grokking and our Truth. If you would please just–" Smith tried before sidestepping another scything wave of ice from the Toa. Kopaka uttered a half-feral snarl, skidded on one foot and sprinted back towards the squirrely Prime. An attempted left hook saw Smith leaping straight up into the trees, scattering a small flock of twittering garden birds. A blast of ice struck the tree trunk, and Kopaka drove his foot into the inflicted bark, snapping the entire trunk in to and sending the young tree creaking and snapping into the trickling pool.
The fight went on like this for some time, with Valentine Smith effortlessly evading every single attack from Kopaka, no matter how cunning or brutal. Rage set in, then, frenzy, and finally fatigue. By the time Kopaka had nearly depleted his elemental reserves, the entire atrium was caked in layers of ice and dusty snow. Kopaka panted heavily at the far end of the room from Smith, leering at him with infected, yellow eyes.
"Please...Kopaka. Your anger and pain hurt me as well. Let us grok together and find healing. If you would just..."
Kopaka stopped listening to the pacifist heresy almost immediately, and tried to center his breathing, regaining focus and awareness. Smith was a canny opponent, that much was certain. Despite the fact that finding him had been easy, Kopaka could see why his indirect tactics made him nearly impossible to capture. He wielded his pacifism as a weapon, allowing the enemy to wear themselves down to bone weariness, to the point they had no choice but to be brainwashed by his cheerful and placid words. But pacifism, like any weapon, could be turned against its wielder. There was a quick crackle of light and static as Kopaka switched to the Kanohi Matatu. The Mask of Telekinesis flared to life instantly as Kopaka stretched his hand out towards the kitchen where the rest of the mess hall had been watching. A young girl shrieked abruptly as she was yanked through the air into the Toa's frigid grasp. Kopaka held her by the calf, letting her dangle upside down over the pool of water as he glanced up at Michael Valentine Smith. For the first time, the biomech could detect a hint of concern on Smith's face.
"You will come with me, quietly, or I will destroy this sanctuary and every living thing within it." the Toa said in a hoarse whisper, allowing the woman's black, flaxen hair to swirl about in the pool water. Michael looked down at the girl, who swallowed hard and summoned her disgusting courage.
"No Michael. Do not let him take you. You must spread the word of God. All must share water. I...I am ready to die for the Brotherhood."
"I do not think you are." Kopaka said with a sadistic glee. He abruptly dunked the woman's upper body under the surface of the pool and shot a flicker of elemental energy into the water, encasing her head, arms and shoulders in a heavy chunk of ice. The Toa unceremoniously flung her to the frosted ground, and let her naked, floundering body flop in the agony of asphyxiation as she struggled in vain to free herself from the entombing rime. Before she had even finished her final, sickening twitches, Kopaka stretched out his hand again towards the assembled cultists. This time an older man tried to run slightly before he too was dragged towards the towering biomech, his hands finding no purchase on he slick, icy ground.
"What about this one Smith? Do you think he will be so willing to martyr himself to your half-rate nudist colony?" Kopaka chided. He swiftly grabbed the man's neck and held him aloft, turning around so that Michael Smith could see the pained face as the senior wheezed for breath. Kopaka smiled inwardly. There was just something so satisfying about grabbing a human neck and just squeezing until the blood flowed. By the time the older man's mustached head was falling of its vertebrae, the cultists were all audibly looking at Michael Smith to do something, anything. Their fear was intoxicating. Valentine Smith sighed.
"I am sorry, Brother. I grokked wrongly. You must be removed." Smith said in an apologetic tone. With all the swiftness of Apollo, the target Prime dashed across the surface of the water straight towards Kopaka, an incapacitating hand stretched out. This time, however, the Toa was ready for him. The Kanohi Hau flashed upon his pitted and rusted face, just as the telepathically sedative hand made contact with the biomech's face. It was too late, however. A thin veil of blue energy protected the Toa from the direct attack, however nonlethal it may have been. It was clear to see that Michael Smith, despite being a preeminent telepath and manipulator, was not a warrior. Kopaka grabbed the pale hand on his face and immediately snapped it with the twist of his own metallic arm. The cultists collectively gasped in horror as the Toa proceeded to drive a hard protosteel knee into the boy's gut, sending him staggering to the floor. Another swift kick sent the target Prime sliding across the slush into a far wall. Kopaka absentmindedly sent a final blast of ice at the crumpled heap of a Prime, coating him in a thick, heavy blanket of blue ice. The crushing weight of the entombing rime made it hard for Smith to breath, and the boy rapidly lost consciousness.
Small sobs escaped the remaining eleven cultists, who all huddled together in shock, as if suddenly aware of their own nudity and vulnerability. The moment Smith's eyes rolled back, Kopaka felt a familiar weight settle onto his back. The Toa drew his sword and shield and examined them closely, making sure they were unharmed by whatever trick Smith had pulled.
"Well, so there!" one of the cultists choked out, clutching a younger female Twi'lek close to him. "You got the man you came for. Just go. Please." he stuttered, eyes wide with panic. Kopaka ran the edge of his ice sword along the rim of the shield, creating a chilling ring throughout the now cold and dead atrium.
"It is true that this was the bargain I offered. Unfortunately..." Kopaka said, turning on his heel and beginning to march towards the huddling group that now began to shift and nudge around like a nervous flock of sheep.
"That bargain was never officially accepted."
As the biomech dashed towards the suddenly scattering herd of screaming cultists, he idly wondered how many of the clustered secondaries he could cut through in a single stroke.
The answer was three and a half.
"So...after acquiring the target and disposing of the remaining dissidents, I returned to EPD headquarters." Kopaka said flatly.
"And...that's...when you decided to throw Smith through my window." Brath retorted.
"Yes." Kopaka said in a tone that dared the bureaucratic officer to pursue this line of inquiry. Brath did not. He had noticed that the room had slowly been becoming almost unbearably cold; no doubt caused intentionally by the Prime sitting across from him. Everything about Kopaka's story and entrance back into the EPD indicated that he was making power plays. The Empire had to be careful with this sort of Prime in their employ, but there was no denying the Toa's sheer brutality. If nothing else, he would be an excellent disposable goon that could easily spread fear where the Empire needed it most. Brath tapped a few buttons on his datapad then nodded at the glowering Toa.
"Alright Kopaka. Give me a few minutes to review your application with the other officers on station, and we'll let you know." Brath said, scooting out of the chair and half-jogging out of the refrigerated holding cell. He could feel the biomech's eyes on him, even after he left the gray, steel cell...
C O L D