03-06-2017, 10:26 PM
Looking over the assembled party, and their already put forth...eccentricity, Dr. Regal couldn't hide his apprehension. He had no question of the actual capabilities of anyone gathered here. If they'd found their way here, it had either been through his own scouts and messengers, or they'd already proved themselves against the results of Nebula's darkness. Unquestionably, they could all at least handle themselves. That wasn't his concern, or the cause for the worried frown creasing his expression. No, that would be the unlikely scenario of getting them all to work together in the first place, much less as anything approaching a coherent team.
But...he couldn't exactly beg, given the situation.
Reaching up to adjust his monocle, he took one last look over the gathering of assorted folks that had answered his call. A sufficient number of them seemed present by now, and they had already taken his up on his offer to ask questions. Predictably, the most obvious and, perhaps, most important ones: What were they doing here, and what was the issue with the dark chips?
He grimaced, awaiting the sudden spike in the conversation at the arrival of the metallic, skinless being, before he dared speak up. "My apologies for the delay," he started off, before turning to head back to his workstation to prepare for delivering his information. "As you all may be aware, to one extent or another, my name is Dr. Regal. I have been keeping tabs on a recent...unsettling uprising of events, here in the Omniverse. Situated here in Coruscant, and across every other verse I have been able to monitor. That situation is, of course, tied to these..." At this, he picked up one of the dark chips which had been brought to him, carefully sealed and floating in a small glass box. It flickered with a faint aura of purple flame, highlighting the black and gold nature of the chip itself. "Or perhaps, more accurately, the organization that produces them."
He placed it down again, on the front of his workstation where it would remain visible. "It is called a Dark Chip. Produced by the group Nebula, a group that I am quite familiar with...I dealt with them heavily in my own world, before being brought to the Omniverse." He paused there to grimace lightly, before bringing his hands up to the keyboard at his workstation's terminal. "It seems harmless enough, and the object itself is essentially so. It is the power it contains. When used in a being with the proper...hardware for it, it enables temporary use of new features and combat routines, along with a momentary, massive surge of power." He brought up a holographic screen, showcasing his meaning. A simulation, clearly, of a regular navi just the same as one of his robotic secretaries and assistants, hard-pressed to fend off a small group of viruses. When the battle ended, it started again. This time, the navi in question produced a dark chip, slotting it into its right arm. Immediately, an aura of dark flames sprang up around it, and the same battle which it had barely won previously was entirely annihilated. The video ended there.
"A great deal of power, indeed, but it comes at a price," Dr. Regal started again, trying to forestall any questions for the moment. "The least of them is that the darkness and power granted is addictive. Like the worst drug you can imagine. At first, you will just come to lose any inhibitions you may have about using it again. Then you will come to rely on it. Then you will come to need it. Then you will have to have it. Then it will start to destroy you, mentally and physically eroding and dissolving you, if you don't continue to have and use it." He adjusted his monocle. "And it comes with a destructive degradation in morals, conscience and cognitive ability. In some cases, users may merely become aggressive and violent. In some cases they completely regress into an almost...primal, bestial state. In still others, they retain their senses but become heartless, cold and cruel. The effects are unpredictable."
He pauses for a moment, looking through his notes and research. "The most worrying part...is that Nebula has already begun spreading their Dark Chips through the Omniverse. I have received reports that put them in every verse, with alarming spikes in the dark power that fuels them and their servants. I have no idea of their intentions, but given their goals the last time I dealt with them..." He grimaces again, shaking his head. "...I can only imagine they are far from in the best interests of anyone present. Perhaps they merely want to cause chaos for the sake of it, or to further stress and complicate the infrastructure of the Omniverse. Or perhaps it is something even more insidious yet." He looks up again, slowly letting his gaze sweep over the assembled group, called here to answer his call for aid. "I'm not capable of fighting them. But you all are. It's why I sent out the call for aid, to try and find a means to stop them before they get too far along and gather too many pawns to stop."
He produces another item from beneath his terminal, what looks like a gauntlet with a small monitor mounted at the wrist. "This is something I devised to assist you in your efforts, should you choose to assist. It will help track down the signature of Nebula's forces and their strongholds, as well as help to...some extent, protecting you from the corrupting, negative influence they exude." He set it down, next to the encased Dark Chip. "It will also..." and here he frowned slightly, but pressed on. "...allow you to use the chips themselves, allowing you to use Nebula's own power against them. It will help protect you from the worst of the mind and body destroying effects of them, if you use them sparingly, but..." He trailed off, with a grimace. "They will also bolster and supplement the natural hardiness and healing abilities Primes possess, making you much tougher than you would otherwise be under normal circumstances. You won't be indestructible, but you'll be far more capable of taking damage than you may be used to."
He left off with a sigh, trying to gather his thoughts. "...and that is all I can say at this juncture. Having done so, I now pose the question directly to all of you: Will you lend your assistance in destroying Nebula before they complete whatever their plans are?"
But...he couldn't exactly beg, given the situation.
Reaching up to adjust his monocle, he took one last look over the gathering of assorted folks that had answered his call. A sufficient number of them seemed present by now, and they had already taken his up on his offer to ask questions. Predictably, the most obvious and, perhaps, most important ones: What were they doing here, and what was the issue with the dark chips?
He grimaced, awaiting the sudden spike in the conversation at the arrival of the metallic, skinless being, before he dared speak up. "My apologies for the delay," he started off, before turning to head back to his workstation to prepare for delivering his information. "As you all may be aware, to one extent or another, my name is Dr. Regal. I have been keeping tabs on a recent...unsettling uprising of events, here in the Omniverse. Situated here in Coruscant, and across every other verse I have been able to monitor. That situation is, of course, tied to these..." At this, he picked up one of the dark chips which had been brought to him, carefully sealed and floating in a small glass box. It flickered with a faint aura of purple flame, highlighting the black and gold nature of the chip itself. "Or perhaps, more accurately, the organization that produces them."
He placed it down again, on the front of his workstation where it would remain visible. "It is called a Dark Chip. Produced by the group Nebula, a group that I am quite familiar with...I dealt with them heavily in my own world, before being brought to the Omniverse." He paused there to grimace lightly, before bringing his hands up to the keyboard at his workstation's terminal. "It seems harmless enough, and the object itself is essentially so. It is the power it contains. When used in a being with the proper...hardware for it, it enables temporary use of new features and combat routines, along with a momentary, massive surge of power." He brought up a holographic screen, showcasing his meaning. A simulation, clearly, of a regular navi just the same as one of his robotic secretaries and assistants, hard-pressed to fend off a small group of viruses. When the battle ended, it started again. This time, the navi in question produced a dark chip, slotting it into its right arm. Immediately, an aura of dark flames sprang up around it, and the same battle which it had barely won previously was entirely annihilated. The video ended there.
"A great deal of power, indeed, but it comes at a price," Dr. Regal started again, trying to forestall any questions for the moment. "The least of them is that the darkness and power granted is addictive. Like the worst drug you can imagine. At first, you will just come to lose any inhibitions you may have about using it again. Then you will come to rely on it. Then you will come to need it. Then you will have to have it. Then it will start to destroy you, mentally and physically eroding and dissolving you, if you don't continue to have and use it." He adjusted his monocle. "And it comes with a destructive degradation in morals, conscience and cognitive ability. In some cases, users may merely become aggressive and violent. In some cases they completely regress into an almost...primal, bestial state. In still others, they retain their senses but become heartless, cold and cruel. The effects are unpredictable."
He pauses for a moment, looking through his notes and research. "The most worrying part...is that Nebula has already begun spreading their Dark Chips through the Omniverse. I have received reports that put them in every verse, with alarming spikes in the dark power that fuels them and their servants. I have no idea of their intentions, but given their goals the last time I dealt with them..." He grimaces again, shaking his head. "...I can only imagine they are far from in the best interests of anyone present. Perhaps they merely want to cause chaos for the sake of it, or to further stress and complicate the infrastructure of the Omniverse. Or perhaps it is something even more insidious yet." He looks up again, slowly letting his gaze sweep over the assembled group, called here to answer his call for aid. "I'm not capable of fighting them. But you all are. It's why I sent out the call for aid, to try and find a means to stop them before they get too far along and gather too many pawns to stop."
He produces another item from beneath his terminal, what looks like a gauntlet with a small monitor mounted at the wrist. "This is something I devised to assist you in your efforts, should you choose to assist. It will help track down the signature of Nebula's forces and their strongholds, as well as help to...some extent, protecting you from the corrupting, negative influence they exude." He set it down, next to the encased Dark Chip. "It will also..." and here he frowned slightly, but pressed on. "...allow you to use the chips themselves, allowing you to use Nebula's own power against them. It will help protect you from the worst of the mind and body destroying effects of them, if you use them sparingly, but..." He trailed off, with a grimace. "They will also bolster and supplement the natural hardiness and healing abilities Primes possess, making you much tougher than you would otherwise be under normal circumstances. You won't be indestructible, but you'll be far more capable of taking damage than you may be used to."
He left off with a sigh, trying to gather his thoughts. "...and that is all I can say at this juncture. Having done so, I now pose the question directly to all of you: Will you lend your assistance in destroying Nebula before they complete whatever their plans are?"