Karon the Wanderer

*"If that is how everlasting life looks like, I choose oblivion"*

-Thadrakos mecenas Elhander after meeting the Wanderer-

Since the dawn of time, all species without exception have dreamed of everlasting life. Advances in medicine, better food a healthier lifestyle, all are done in hopes of gaining a few more years of life. Still, all end up becoming victims of the reaper, as even empires cannot escape death.

The creature known as **Karon**appears to be the lone exception to said rule. Thought to be more than 2,000 years old, this giant being of metal was once a mortal creature of flesh and one of the last members of his dying race. Terrified about the prospect of oblivion, and being the last of his realm to perish, he searched across the stars, killing even fellow survivors and burning whole cities down as he searched for a way to prolong his life. Slowly, he changed his failing body parts for better bionics, yet he still knew he was only slowing down the inevitable.

Only after meeting with the Order of Curators did Karon's luck change. At that time more open about their sharing of technology, and dependent on trade with nearby territories to survive, the scholars of this order made a deal with Karon, slowly taking what flesh remained in his body until finally he could become the thing he wanted: An immortal being.

Immortality did not come without a prize however. Century after century, Karon felt his emotions live him, along with his wishes, dreams and fears. Soon enough, he began to despise what he had become, loath the perfection of his self-repairing body. Leaving the Order behind, he now wanders across the galaxy on his ancient, yet highly advanced ship, his new goal to become truly "alive" again and have the death he should had had several millennia ago. Hope as it happens, if the only thing Karon has left and he is not willing to let go of it, no matter how many thousands must die in the process.

## A honest monster

### Lone survivor

Methodical in the destruction of its targets as it tries to steal new technology and resources, Karon's ship very rarely leaves any survivors on its wake. Alongside the borders of the Thadrakos families, the Yaanari League, Galactic Entente and the Commonwealth  itself, dozens of reports speak of "incidents" where frontier bases and science ships are lost or found wrecked without any trace of the attackers.Many of these attacks now are believed to have been performed by Karon during its search of mortality, the only life he seems to care on being his own.

Only one time did this creature allow a survivor to meet him. A Thadrakos mecenas by the name of Elhander (one of the many the Thadrakos who is used to eluding recognition and capture) was unlucky enough to put his ship on the way of Karon's own. A long, heavily-armed battleship of ancient, yet highly-advanced design, its guns fired even before the mecenas could try to open channels of communication. Instead of blowing up though, the engines of the Thadrakos ships died, leaving it to float aimlessly across the void while assault pods flew from the battleship's belly.

The survivor speaks little of the carnage which followed. While the crew was made of a high number of veteran fighters and modified, slave warriors, none lasted to long against Karon's battledroids. The Wanderer himself led the charge, a tall, humanoid-like creature of gleaming metal and glowing, red eyes nearly 3 meters tall. Slender and of perfect proportions, the mecenas still saw damage on its metallic skin, damage which, as it turned out, came not from enemy weapons but its own claws. These were long and so sharp they sliced through flesh and bone like butter. Soon enough, the mecenas realized the battle was lost:

*"Part of me was almost delighted. Despite its grim appearance, there was great strength and power in that creature, its red "eyes" showing no fear as he crushed the last of my slave warriors. Still, despite the beauty, I did not want this to be my end. I threw down my weapon and asked for mercy, my words unheard at first as he continued to kill any of my men who tried to surrender too. Finally, out of desperation, I begged at least to be allowed the boon of returning to my home one last time, of meeting my sons and daughters one last time before meeting my fate.*

*And to my surprise, he actually stopped. He stared right into my eyes, with eyes which had seen civilizations rise and fall. For a moment, I believed he was still going to yank my head out of my spine and be done with it, yet he did not. As the last of my crew died, this creature, Karon, turned and left. Not one moment later, its battledroids have pulled me out of his ship, taking me into the "Perseverance".*

Unlike Karon himself, there is actual clue of the existence of the ship known as the "Perseverance". Long and deadly, it could only be compared to some of the capital ships of Task Force Manticore, its wide range of guns able to destroy everything from ships to whole cities.

   One cannot be to trusting of a pirate's word and more so with a Thadrakos  one. Eager to embellish the story of his survival, it would not be to strange to find out only a small part of the details spoke of by the mecenas are actually true.

Despite this, one cannot completely dismiss his story either, or the conversation he might have truly had with the Wanderer:

*The corridors of the ship were built for giants, yet had not the gorgeous decoration of my own "Silver Dance". No living being inhabited the corridors, only droids of all sizes and shapes, each one moving with its own purpose. I admit,I nearly soiled myself when Karon finally turned to face me, his voice a metallic murmur.*

*"The lenght of your life depends on your questions and answers. Choose them wisely"*

*As it happens with every time I am in mortal peril, I decided to let my charm take the wheel to ease tensions "Before that though, you could tell me your name. I will start. Mine is Elhander"*

*"Irrelevant knowledge" he said, yet did not kill me "I was known as Karon. Do you truly wish to see your biological offspring again?"*

*"Even if sometimes I wish there were less like their mothers, I still love them. Yes, I would not mind one last chance to speak to them"*

*"Why? None will remember when they are dust"*

*I managed what I hope would be a pleasant smile "That might be true, but decades will pass until that happens"*

*"And that is a long time?"*

*It was at this moment that, without warning, he began to speak about himself. Karon, member of a now extinct race, had been born nearly 2,000 years ago, the city where he had grown and learned now nothing but ruins for Commonwealth  researchers to analyze.*

*"My data banks are not 100 percent precise about that time, as my brain was still biological. There was war and disease, our civilization slowly declining to the point where even the capital became a graveworld. I feared death, feared becoming one of many to die and be forgotten. I took one of our finest ships, took loyalists as crew and began to search for a way to stop the madness"*

*Karon stopped, maybe to access to another of its memory banks.*

*"Useless. In the end I could only hope of saving myself and the crew. Still, I knew the disease, hunger or something else would finally bring our doom. I decided to improve my body, change whatever part of it which failed me for improved, bionical ones. Yet I knew these parts would still fail me. I became desperate, I started to hunt down my own kind in search for a way to flee death"*

*He did not go into much detail about those who died by his hand, only how he enslaved scientists, blew up ships and sped up the extinction of his race as he tried to gain just one extra year of life.*

*"Leaving my dead homeland, I traveled East. There. I meat the Order of Curators. More open back then about their knowledge than they are now, they still did not agree with my request for help at first. Many times I threatened them, pleaded, begged. Finally, they took me in and gave me what I was asking for, in exchange for my service as their guardian for at least two hundred years"*

*As he spoke, I saw him claw at his "face" peeling skin to reveal a pale, skull face. To my surprise, new skin slowly grew in place of that which had been torn off. Still, I could see there was nothing biological left in Karon, only mechanical parts, wires and plates made of materials I have never seen before.*

### Servant of the Curators

Despite more or less earning his wish of nearly-assured immortality, Karon would soon discover the many issues of everlasting life.

*"At first, I felt like a God" said Karon "The Order repaired and improved my ship, gave me weapons and engines unlike anything my civilization had ever seen. Soon I found myself using them against those who tried to steal the Curator's knowledge, blowing up their ships and leaving no survivors. I personally led many attacks, the enemy's weapons useless against my new skin and body.*

*My crew though, did not manage to keep up with these improvements. Already, several generations have gone by, each new one worse than the last as incest began to become the norm. Dumb-witted and useless, I finally had to slay them and replace them with droids which would not fail me"*

*Unlike the exploits of some of my fellow mecenas, there was no hint of pride in Karon's words when he began to speak about his deeds at the service of the Curators. Two hundred years became three, then five as Karon slowly realized how, as his body was improved and perfected, all possible goals and dreams he might have had vanished. He no longer feared death. Now, he almost craved it.*

*"I killed millions during my time as the lapdog of the Curators. Maybe before that number would have alarmed me, disgusted me...or made me proud, I really do not know. At this moment, one million dead is just a number, the destruction of a ship just another day. Without fear, without a biological brain able to fail, there was nothing to strive for. Finally, I understood why the Curators have been so reluctant about my "immortality" and why they had not undergone the same transformation themselves. Without the fear of death, the need to become better, we become no better than our droids. Finally, after centuries of service, I left them to recover my life"*

*"Can that be done?" I dared to ask.*

*"My logical mind says it is impossible to revert my situation. Nevertheless, what little remains of my old, biological self has hope and hope is the one thing I am unwilling to let go of"*

After that, and without any further words, the mecenas was returned to his ship. The "Perseverance" and Karon left not soon afterwards.

## The Wanderer

As he continues his search for mortality, Karon takes his ship across the universe, blowing up any patrol fleet or base which dares to stand in his way. Thousands of years of experience make him one of the deadliest captains in the galaxy, as every choice, tactic and move is done out of the coldest and most efficient of logistics. Despite his eagerness to fail and feel once more, his bionic brain keeps guessing every move from his foes, most battles being won even before the other side realizes they are happening.

Being one of the most advanced nations in the galaxy, Karon has turned its red eyes to the Commonwealth. Moving like a ghost, he preys on forgotten bases and hunts down scientists, leaving nothing on its wake. OnlyTask Force Manticore  itself could hope to beat the Wanderer, a fight which might finally bring Karon the challenge he has been missing for so many centuries.