From God to Speck (Ornella)

[darkstar]

OOC: The first part is located here instead of on apokolips, in order to establish what's going on

Blackstar was the ruler of Apokolips, anyone still wishing to dispute that claim hiding in the shadows of the planet, lashing out at only the weakest of Blackstar's forces. Right now however, he cared not for the insects who were trying to slay the giant. His forces were prepared, and this was to be his greatest siege.
"Men, the world of Tamaran is feared throughout the cosmos as being the home of a race of warriors. However! Fearsome though they may be, they shall feel fear as our warships tear apart their atmosphere, and you render their bodies mere scraps of flesh. They shall die by our hands, and when the time has come in which they realise their proper place, I shall allow them to live in servitude beneath me. Until then! No mercy, no honour, no remorse. All shall be one under Blackstar!"

The masses erupted into loud cheer, chants of 'All shall be one under Blackstar' spreading like wildfire. He smiled, confident that despite their reputation, the tamaranians would fall beneath his foot like all others had thus far. He turned, ready to lead the charge upon the world. The father box in his hands 'tinged', and was followed shortly after by a loud BOOM, the boomtube forming in front of him.
"Let them howl in despair at the sight of my form." He spoke, before stepping forth, realising for a brief instant a 'shudder' in the tube.
"...Unfortunate." He muttered, before giving a cry of agony as the tube collapsed around him prematurely, both ripping him apart and crushing him as he was hurled through the universe, left to the fortunes of fate or luck to decide where he would emerge, if at all.

---

Coast City... once home of the Green Lantern known as Hal Jordan, still considered the city without fear. Such a title was at one point well earned, but not so much now. Whilst tourists and the confident locals would come regularly to surf on the incredible beach front, it was also a growing hell hole of corruption. Without the light of the Lantern, it had lost its way and tumbled into darkness.

And it was within this darkness, that the criminal element thrived. And on such a night as this, it was the perfect time for a little 'trading' as it were. This trading was by no means however legal, being the auctioning of stolen artifacts, treasures, illegal firearms, and technology. Some of it earth based, others not so much, having been snatched from passing extra terrestrials, or dead ones. All of them went for a hefty price, so even among criminals, only the most successful could afford such things without attempting to steal them. And to steal in the middle of such a crowd of criminals was suicidal, at best.

So in a way, it was perhaps some of the most violence free and honest auctioning around. Ironic, no? Regardless, the auction tonight was running smoothly, currently in the middle of its 'Alien Technology' segment.
"Five hundred thousand... Six hundred thousand... Seven hundred thousand... once, twice," BANG, "Sold! To Milo Makarov." The Auctioneer proclaimed loudly, putting down the gavel momentarily to hand the man his newly acquired Shi'ar hand blaster.

"Now then ladies, gentlemen, and scumbags, we move onto the latest addition to our merchandise. Recently dug out of the wastelands where the 'Great battle' was fought in 2010, the device is unknown in its origins and workings. However, it has thus far proven capable of answering all questions given to it, and a few 'unwilling' witnesses say that such a thing was in the hands of Darkseid's forces at that time. Ergo everybody, this thing has got to have some damned good potential. At the very least, it's a collector's item." The man said, holding up the device in question. It was no larger than an Ipod Touch really, except maybe a bit thicker. Its surface was covered with strange patterns, alien, yet obviously an indicator of its circuitry.

"Do I hear two hundred thousand?"

[Ornella]

'Do I hear two hundred thousand?'

In a private booth Black Paw brought the glass of wine to her red painted lips. She'd just purchased a few pieces in the auction. She was an art dealer of sorts, although sometime what she called art wasn't what others would consider art. She studied the little object with curiosity. She'd heard of the find and as of late strange findings from the battles were becoming high quality items in the trade. It was illegal to own them, but she wasn't the type to let that stop her.

Her finger rose and one of her employees made the bid for her.

[darkstar]

"Two hundred thousand then." The auctioneer said as the bidding began, rising slowly but steadily.
"Four hundred thousand... Four hundred and fifty thousand..." However, despite no matter how high the thugs in the building bid, the woman in the private booth continued to bid higher and higher in response. Murmurs began to spread on exactly what kind of person had that sort of money, and wasn't operating out of somewhere like New York or Gotham. It seemed unreal.

However, by the end of it all, the criminals were all outbid, the auctioneer stuttering from the surprise of where the price had gotten to over a single little box.
"O-one m-m-million d-dollars! G-going once, t-twice, SOLD!" He yelled, banging the gavel loud and clear. One of the staff came up and took the device, before delivering it to Black Paw personally. Beyond that, much of the auctioning was dull, and mildly interesting - though ultimate useless - at best. Eventually, the whole thing was over, and the criminals went their separate ways, all plotting how they were gonna take over the city some day. Well, perhaps all but one.

[Ornella]

Taking the little box in slender hands, Ornella tilted her head to the side and looked it over. It was a strange little thing, and she'd just made it worth a million dollars. She stood, her employee's rushing to get everything ready for her departure. She carried the little device with her, holding it as a lady would hold something delicate.

Moments later, she slipped into the stretch limo that would take her to the penthouse street, her eyes till looking over the device, wondering what it was and what it once have been used for.

Returning to the pent house suite, she placed the device carefully on the vanity before moving into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Outside her men roamed the halls, casually guarding her suite.

Dressed in a long pink nighty with matching robe, she emerged once more, tying the belt, her eyes instantly going to the device once more. She reached out for it and brought it to bed, ,turning it over in her hands again, her fingers prodding at the case while she slipped under the silk covers.

"Now my little friend, what exactly are you." She said in a deep, sensual whisper.

[darkstar]

Ting

Likely not the response the woman had been expecting, if she were really any kind of response at all. The sound began to repeat itself, again and again and again, before a tube erupted into existence beside the bed with a loud BOOM. Energy surged through the air, making a few of the lightbulbs explode, as the physical form of a being clearly not human emerged on the floor. It groaned, clearly in pain, which was further complimented by the fact the very body was smoking.

And then, it began to speak as it rose to its feet.
"Ugh... whoever that traitor may be, I shall hunt and destroy him..." He seemed unaware of his surroundings, right up until he saw the woman lying there in the bed.
"Human... then this is Earth. How interesting." He muttered, before picking up a box device - almost identical to the one in the woman's hands - and then crushing it.
"Sabotage, how quaint. You there!" He yelled at the woman, ignoring whatever questions she may be slinging out at him.
"Hand me that father box now, or you shall know my wrath." He held out a hand, expecting compliance from the human. Her kind were normally cowardly and would likely obey.

[Ornella]

She hadn't expected any responce, let alone that. As the figure appeared Ornella slid to the other side of the bed and dashed to the opposite side of the room, her back pressing to the wall. She stared, wide-eyed at the being before it started to speak and a high pitched screech hit her hearing aid. She cried out in pain, plucking the device from her ear. There was something in the being's voice that caused her hearing aid to scream and the noise was worse than any she'd ever experienced.

Looking back up at the black being, the door to her suite was thrown open and two men with guns appeared. Quickly, Ornella rose her hand, indicating they were not to shoot. She looked to the being and was able to make out its command via the lips.

"No. I wont." She said simply, bringing her hands to her chest and clutching the device there. "I paid a lot for this little thing, I wont be handing it over." Her defiant brown eyes narrowed as she frowned at the creature.

[darkstar]

So fragile that even the sound of his voice caused her great pain. Truly, what a pathetic example of a life form. Even with the woman signalling for her men not to shoot, he doubted they'd have caused him great harm. The difference in simply ballistic weapons like those and his own power was simply too great. However, the fact she refused to hand over the father box was frustrating. To disobey a command from him... it either took great confidence, or stupidity.

"In all honesty, no matter how much you paid for it, your human currencies could never measure up to match its true worth. Now, I will say it one last time. Hand. It. Over." His voice was a lot more stern, even though it was likely she couldn't even hear him. He figured that the best result was to simply clarify what kind of a being she was dealing with. He focused his mind, trying to have the omega realm bend to his will, and grant him its incredible power...

...Nothing. Whilst the humans would notice nothing out the ordinary, for him that was the exact problem. The omega effect... was absent. He'd spent much time gaining such power, and to find it gone was more than a little infuriating. Evidently, the sabotage of the mother box had done damage to the connection, or at least, distorted it. And potentially, his powers granted to him as a New God. The fact he crushed the father box earlier meant he retained some of his incredible strength.

He moved quickly, delivering two straight punches to the men in with weapons. One now had a clear window through the chest, through which one could see what remained of his vital organs. The other now had his head facing the opposite direction of what it should be, and it wouldn't be going back. With that done, and the blood on his hands, he looked at the woman once more. He walked up to her, unflinching, undeterred by whatever threats might come. He forced his way to the father box, clutching the woman's arm as he pressed a button.

...Again, nothing.
"Damaged. Considering when this likely arrived on the planet, that is to be expected I suppose. The father box I had must have used this one as an emergency beacon to deposit me to safety. Heh." He smiled again, though in a way that just seemed... wrong. He released the woman's arm, readjusting his arm bands as he moved away a bit.
"I suppose, in a way, I have you to thank." He said, before giving her the pointer finger.
"You said you acquired the father box. I doubt the thing was at all legal on this world. How and where did you obtain it?"

[Ornella]

To say Ornella wasn't afraid would be a lie. Especially when she watched her thugs murdered in a gruesome way before her very eyes. She trembled and pressed herself even more back against the wall as he moved towards her. When he suddenly grabbed her arm a slight whimper came from her lips but she wouldn't scream, she looked up into his red eyes, thinking this was her final moment in life.

She watched him touched the device and she looked away, closing her eyes. She couldn't hear a word he said, but then suddenly her arm was released and she opened them.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice slightly strange due to her not being able to hear it.

[darkstar]

"You avert my question and instead ask your own - how curious. Due to my circumstances, I will let so impudence go. To answer you question though..." He began, lowering his arm so that it was now by his side.
"I... am Blackstar! Lord of the world of Apokolips, and heir to Darkseid. Compared to you humans, my power is - or should be - comparable to that of a god, the ask of manipulating matter an errand of the mind. However, thanks to the traitourous hands of some fool desiring power, I am here, and my powers weakened." He felt no shame in admitting this, as he did not doubt he would regain them. But also, he had realised this woman was going to become necessary.

"Father box, calculate current upper body strength." He commanded the box from afar, and it responded.
Current lifting ability at roughly a megaton.
"Indeed a fraction then." He muttered, clenching a fist, clearly annoyed by the information."At least your calculatory functions are intact, they will prove useful." He said, finally returning his attention to the human female.
"Whomever you may be, however regrettable it may also be for me to say this, but I will be requiring your assistance. As the father box's ability to connect to my homeworld are nonfunctioning on their own, I am, for all intents and purposes, stranded. You evidently have the connections required to access such technology in the first place, which I shall need if I am to return to my place of origin."

Obviously, noone would simply accept the idea of having someone like him work alongside them without some good incentives.
"In return, I shall not only spare you from my wrath, but grant you access to my remaining abilties. As the father box clearly implied earlier, I am far more capable than those thugs of yours ever would have been. My knowledge also exceeds that of you humans, so I will be able to grant you access to technology your race has yet to even comprhend." He was offering much in all honesty, perhaps too much. But in truth, the heir to Darkseid was actually a little desperate inside. There was no way his followers would actually come to search for him when they could just as easily squabble over power. Unless he gained the aid of this human, he would be alone, on the world that has broken his father.

[Ornella]

Still fearful, she watched him speak to her, missing a few of the words but pretty much she got the big picture, he was from another planet, apparently he'd been able to destroy things but for some reason he couldn't be as distructive as he wishes... la la la... so on and so forth. Slowly, her eyebrow began to creep up into an arch. This could be useful, very useful indeed.

"I can't hear you." She said when he'd finished speaking, "My hearing aid is how I hear anything at all, but for some reason your voice makes it behave strangely. I have to see your mouth and the way it moves to know what you're saying at all."

Her hands had lowered to her sides but she remained still never the less...

)(OOC: I figured his ability to communicate telepathically would be good here.)(

[darkstar]

Ah, and to think her ability to interpret his words from lip movement had been so impressive up to this point. However, he found it interesting to find his voice was an exception, and not the rule. Though, if they were to forge an alliance, it would become necessary they communicate through means outside of vocal communication. Though he knew now his connection to the omega realm was not what it once was, he had only attempted telekinesis. Perhaps the easier of the available powers would still be just that...

He allowed the flow of his conciousness to flow outwards, extending beyond the limits of his cranium. His thoughts surged into those of the woman, allowing him to speak, without speaking.
<"Is this better?"> He asked within the woman's mind. He was thankful that this power at least was still useable - most convenient. He proceeded to repeat his offer and terms, just to make sure the woman understood them.
<"Would our partnership require anything else?"> He asked, as whilst he was fairly sure he covered enough, the human might have considered something he didn't.

[Ornella]

Ornella was surprised, to say the least, to hear the voice in her mind but it certainly was better than having to listen to his voice through her hearing aid. She studied him intently as he told her of his plot and then nodded slowly, a smirk coming onto her lips.

"I think that will work out just fine for the two of us. You help me, and I will help you."

[darkstar]

<"Excellent. Then we can begin shortly. But first..."> He said, again trying to call out to the omega realm. The connection, whilst weak, was enough for him to call upon a second of its abilities. In moments, his form began to warp and change, for a few moments the warlord looking like some jumbled mess from out of the Cthulhu mythos. He did not use this power often, because he often felt no desire to use it all. But now, he was going to have to live amongst these humans, and his form, to quote an old human saying (what irony), 'stuck out like a sore thumb'.

Once he was done, where once stood Blackstar, lord of Apokolips, was someone who appeared to be quite human indeed. He had done at least some research about Earth, being that it was the world that defeated his father, and one he intended to conquer at some point. Much information was brought before him, seemingly useless at the time. However, amongst them were collections of paper that depicted the 'ideal' human male. And, basing his form off of that, Blackstar now appeared young and handsome, with light brown hair and equally brown eyes. He was however, still dressed in his clothes from before, as he would not dare wear such revealing apparel that had been displayed in those images, for the sake of his own dignity (whatever amount he was willing to maintain).
<"I assume this is a form you will be more comfortable with.">

[Ornella]

Ornella watched wideyed as the being before her shifted his form and seemed to shrik somewhat into the shape of a human. By the time he was done her lips were slightly parted and her eyebrow arched around as high as it would go. Then a smirk came to her lips and she managed to peel herself from the wall and walk a few paces towards him. "Why yes it does. Hellooo handsome." She purred, circling him as she did so.

[darkstar]

She showed attraction to this form, which was both a good and a bad thing. Good, in that it allowed him to potentially manipulate her further. Bad, in that she may try to use this as a means to pursue some kind of relationship. And whilst he may have looked human right now, he was very much so still a New God. Not only would the potential child be... strange, putting it mildly, there was a risk that this would break down the partnership he was forging here. Finally, he cared little for human life - he did not plan on keeping her once he was returned to power.

<"Do not get any ideas. This partnership is to remain one of business, nothing further."> He said, setting up his next line, a coy smile emerging on his face.
<"Though perhaps in time, I may be convinced otherwise."> He was good at slinging out such lies and manipulating his delivery was even easier in the mind.
<"But first, I will require more suitable clothes. What do you have available?">