Darth Calamitous

Council

My barren living quarters were a small compartment almost cupboard like with nothing but a bed barely big enough to contain me, a table that had some victuals on it and completed with a chair. The small space was what I had called home since I had come of age.

Family and identity were not important here, our homes were minimal as we were taught to be humble and not have greed or place an emphasis on material things. Family is a weak word in the society of my people used to explain relationships between one Gand to the next and to provide official surnames to be used once one has earned it. Arrogance is a sign of rebellion while pride is seen as a sign of immaturity, which helps place an emphasis on the lack of family orientation.

Everything done is done for the good of the community, the government, the Elder Council. As a culture, we prospered nearly never recognizing or encountering the outside life beyond the mists and in the stars. However, now was a rare case.

My overall goal of my trial was to track and hunt down invaders and traitors alike. Without a specific count of how many I was supposed to kill I was unsure whether or not I had completed my trials although the ruetsavii appeared inclined to return home after I killed the last one I had encountered. 

There was a knock on my door and one of the supervising ruetsavii appeared at my doorway and motioned for me to follow him. He guided me throughout our colony to the chambers where I would be judged. 

The Council of Elder Gand were seated in front of me, once again in a mostly barren room save the semi-arced table and chairs for each of them. They were the advising body to the Lord. Each colony had their own king and our planet was not yet united. 

"Well, son of Muur'dohk, apprentice findsmen, you have sought a name for yourself. You are no longer a child Gand but perhaps a titled one. Elder Council has failed to come to a consensus as a singular body and have resorted to you being in our presence for the vote. As a congruent body, Elder Council would wish to hear your own words," echoed the Elder seated at the middle of the table in a dour and solemn manner.

"Gand has hurried far through the mists and performed many rituals in seek of those who Gand was designated to kill," I formally responded, struggling to suppress my strong individuality with terms which are not even practiced. "Four creatures Gand has slain, obtained some of the creatures' weapons of choice, Gand has. Strange contraptions reliant on external power paks and when ignited do not blast or shock, rather emit a humming beam of power. Gand has experimented and used said arnament to dispatch targets. Powerful, unknown, foreign is this technology that Gand feels is dangerous. Once dispated, Gand performed another ritual for insurance and deemed it worthy to return home. That is all Gand has to report," I hurried the last part, falling under the pressure of their contemptous eyes that were so deep, black, and impossible to read.

I was escorted out of the room and I felt the room intensify in a hot debate and several moments later I was reinstated to their presence. However, this time I felt something emanate from the center elder, something ominous, malicious, and belligerent. It felt hungry and I felt as though my very being was in the process of being extricated from my body and drained into a sort of black hole.

"The Elder Council shall now conduct the vote in your presence, son of Muur'dohk," the middle Elder announced this time, except it, something that wasn't Gand seemed to be anchored into whatever it. 

"All in favor of son of Muur'dohk earning his own surname of Dohk'muur and becoming an official Janwuine-Jika, stand," resonated the female Elder on the far left.

Slowly, out of the nine council members, four stood up. The two on the far left, the one of the far right and one seated to the left of the middle Elder. Observing his surrounders the middle Elder knew that he was the decision that would make or break my career as a Gand. It proceeded to sweep it's powerful gaze onto whomever it might land then locked eyes with me. Again, I felt myself be sucked into a dark abyss with no return and I felt as though time was escaping me and I began to panic. 

I clawed at the edges of the void only to be met with wispy tendrils of darkness. My chitinous exoskeleton shivered as I attempted to scream in protest. I couldn't find footing. There was nothing. My world was coming to an end. I felt, empty, dead. 

Almost immediately afterwards I zoomed backwards and seemed to return to my body. Only a second ticked by and all the Elders looked at me in question of my sudden outburst. I avoided looking directly at any of them and felt their penetrating glares observe my every motion.

The fifth one to make a majority, the one in the middle, rose out of the chair as I came out of my spasm of innapropriate reaction. "This one, Dohk'muur, shall make a fine addition to our Janwuine-jike and is now honored as a recognizable Gand of society for his accomplishments in aiding our colony and benefitting the Lord of this colony.This council may now disperse."

My escorts did not hurry me or rush me out of the room. I was an individual now. Gand society would now realize me not as Muur'dohk, Gand, or son of Muur'dohk, but now, I am my own, Dohk'muur. The council members seemed to fade past me, all except one, the middle one.

The Gand was no longer Gand but instead a transformation was occuring. The exoskeleton seemed to hazily smoke off and the image of the Elder was blurred, the skin appeared to be singed and burning off and it revealed a pasty white almost dead color to it. Jet black hair dark as midnight and the abyss which I was sucked into flowed out of her scalp. Gray, unfeeling eyes clouded over with judgement and power seemed to be glossed over and unseeing. She had powerful cheekbones that seemed to pounce out across her face with skin pulled extremely tight across. She had black markings as dark as her hair painted across of her face in small triangles and lines. But what was most strange of all, was the form she took required no chitinous exoskeleton but the soft vulnerable fleshy substance of those that I had killed.