[LTC][S16 - Kowak - AI] The Kowak Cackle

The Kowak Cackle

A notorious ARGO Industries prospector inspects another ledger entry...

Imperial Era – The Slave March

On the outskirts of Sclavos, the humid air clung thick to the skin of three weary captives: a young Twi’lek woman, a scarred Togruta, and a Rodian male with haunted eyes. Their bodies marked with lashes and bruises, and though no chains bound them, the threat of death hung heavy—one wrong move, and the stormtroopers escorting them would not hesitate to fire. At their side strode a sneering Zygerrian slaver, whip held loosely in his hand as if daring them to falter. From the shadows of the canopy, Kowakian monkey-lizards watched, their shrill, mocking laughter echoing through the jungle, a cruel chorus to the Empire’s sanction of the Zygerrian slave empire’s return on Kowak.

Present Day – ARGO Exploitation

Decades later, the same jungle wall echoed not with laughter, but with the shrill whine of plasmasaws. ARGO Industries prospectors in yellow coveralls cut down ancient trees with clinical efficiency, their toppled trunks collapsing into the undergrowth. Crews drove thick probes into the freshly exposed stumps and roots, siphoning out viscous sapp-colored resin into canisters that gleamed like liquid gemstones. Scientists logged readings on datapads, speculating on the compound’s industrial applications and profit margins. Around them, the once-raucous jungle felt unnervingly still—the familiar cackling of the monkey-lizards had been silenced, their voices gone from the canopy. Only the hum of machinery and the hiss of harvested lifeblood filled the air, as ARGO reduced the lush wilds of Kowak into another ledger entry.

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The space limitations was a bit tricky for this one. I wish I had more space for machines etc. I'll need to do a follow-up. More photos below.