A Routine Tour, Nothing More

[Finor Amnen]

Planet: Eriadu
Location: Eriadu Mining and Shipping Headquarters

Finor Amnen circled his temple with his thumb, head resting on his knuckles, propped up on his elbow. This was not working out. Currently he sat slumped in his office chair, eyes barely open, watching the massive transparisteel wall screen for any sort update on Qishi Station. Nothing.

Sighing, he sat up straight. What time was it? He glanced out of the window to his right. The sun was beginning to dip over distant mountains, casting the landscape in a darkened and eerie atmosphere. It almost seemed to reflect his hopes for the situation to resolve easily. Light quickly fading into oblivion.

Now I'm just being dramatic, he thought to himself with annoyance.

A green flash erupted from his datapad. A notification. It appeared as if it was from the verification team captain, who Finor had sent to investigate Qishi the day prior.

[URGENT:// REQUEST REGIONAL MANAGER AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF TO ASSIST IN REMEDYING CRITICAL QISHI STATION'S ERRORS.]

 

[Finor Amnen]

Finally.

Finor immediately entered the EMS Security Captain Byne Caulgruf's contact information on his datapad and connected with one hand while frantically typing a response to the vague but concerning message. Though the situation was still fairly recent, Finor knew the importance of handling this correctly. If he could assess Qishi Station's woes and take action quickly and decisively, he would gain many of his coworker's faith as a capable leader. If not. . . Finor preferred not to imagine the hell work would become.

His fingers typed with a blurring speed while the viewscreen on the wall connected to Caulgruf. [://Message received. Care to elaborate? I will be there in a few hours with a security team.] Caulgruf's permanently stoic and unamused face filled the wall. "What can I help you with, Mr. Amnen?" came the polite yet gruff greeting. "Ah, Mr. Caulgruf. I need you to gather a security detail and a transport and escort me to Qishi Station as quickly and discretely as possible."

A slight twitch of an eyebrow belied Caulgruf's interest on his otherwise emotionless face."Not a problem, sir. We'll have everything you need in twenty minutes."

 

[Finor Amnen]

A light rain had just begun to lazily fall on the ground, gray clouds bordered in darkness surged across the horizon. A storm was coming.

Finor glanced out the window at the scenery as he quickly put on his coat, stuffing his datapad into the inner pocket. The orange-yellow hue of the fading sun combined with the vast stretches of rain-heavy clouds. A streak of light flashed down from above in the distant mountains to the north. Finor shivered.

Finor took one last glance around his office, content with leaving everything remaining for tomorrow's work. He had no problem working late; he knew his limits and what he could and could not handle. Extra time at the office was nothing.

He glanced down at the datapad again, hoping to find another response from Qishi Station. Nothing. Shaking his head was the only external sign that revealed how much his insides were roiling. He began to walk towards the elevator and afterwards to the landing pad to meet Caulgruf. Finor wanted to keep the matter in the company and with as few people knowing as possible. If they had to drag the law enforcement into this, speculation would skyrocket. Stock would fall, and of course, Amnen's leadership would be questioned or limited.

Emerging from the headquarter's ornate front doors, Finor raised a hand to shield his eyes from the rain. It had increased in intensity. A slight hum could be heard in the distant east, slowly picking up into the roar of repulsorlift engines as one of EMS's many shuttles lurched into view, turning in front of Finor and slowly touching down. The wide and sturdy wings folded slowly into the air, allowing it to fit on the pad comfortably. The ramp extended and Caulgruf's boots became visible. The gruff man descended the ramp with a confident stride.

"Where to, sir?"

"Qishi Station," Finor replied, grateful to see him on time. He shook the man's hand, wincing in pain at his tight clasp, then quickly strode up the ramp into the belly of the shuttle. "As fast as possible. I'll brief you on the way there."

 

[Finor Amnen]

Finor ascended the ramp and examined his surroundings. Ten blue-clad security officers sat in two rows of five, backs to the wall, facing each other. They each wore a black vest over their blue uniforms, and had pistols strapped to their thighs. They all regarded him silently.

"You'll be with us in the cabin, Mr. Amnen," Caulgruf growled, sealing the ramp up with the control pad on the wall. Finor nodded and followed Caulgruf up a ladder at the end of the transport bay. At the top of the ladder, a short corridor yielded to the pilot's cabin, which opened promptly after Caulgruf entered a quick code on the wall panel. Two pilots sat in the pilot and navigator's chairs.

"We're going to Qishi Station. You know how to get there," he nodded at the pilots, who immediately began working on the preflight check. "You can sit over there," Caulgruf motioned with an arm to a VIP passenger chair. Finor complied and sat, albeit on the edge of his seat, absentmindedly fidgeting with his hands. The shuttle slowly nosed upwards and began its course.

He suddenly turned to the captain, who was casually leaning back on the wall of the cabin. "I suppose it'd be helpful to give you some background, if you'd like." He was met with a shrug from the hardened man. "Well . . . Qishi Station has been completely unresponsive for almost two days. No data reports, no incoming or outgoing transports, and the verification team I sent earlier failed to respond, until this cryptic message." He showed the captain the sole message from the team on his datapad.

Caulgruf was silent for a few moments. His shoulders seemed to tense for a moment, then he relaxed and slumped against the wall again. "Likely a communications array error, or a manager gone crazy or something. I'm sure we'll get it all sorted out when we arrive, which is in . . ." He let the sentence trail off, eyes sweeping to the pilot.

"No longer than fifteen minutes, barring an increase in the storm," came the quick response. Fifteen minutes for my heart to keep pounding, thought Finor worriedly.

 

[Finor Amnen]

The tempest grew wilder, spreading its puffed up tendrils of clouds into the distance, encompassing the horizon. Sheets of rain fell firmly on the shuttle as it quivered slightly from a nearby bolt of lightning. Finor shivered.

"There's the destination, sir," the pilot commented, right hand occupied with preparing the landing systems. Qishi Station began as a speck in the viewport and slowly grew larger until the details became plain to see, despite the rain. The mining facility was built from a top of a small area of roughly even ground up to a mountainside that jutted up like an upraised hand. The front of the facility was a maze of landing pads, conveyor belts, catwalks, and energy vents. The main building was inside of the mountain itself, where the extraction and processing took place. Lommite and many other minerals and gases were mined deep in the bellows of the facility.

The shuttle roared into the facility's airspace. Finor leaned forward and looked down below, trying to see if anything was operational. The conveyor belts had stopped, and the energy vents, normally radiating a reddish glow tinged with blue, were as cold and gray as ever.

"Everything looks to be offline out here. . . Pilot, scan the facility to see if any electronics are left online." He complied, and moments later a small screen amidst the pilot controls beeped and displayed an animation of a circle spreading out from their position. After a couple seconds, a few small dots appeared in the circle's wake, signifying active electronics.

"It appears as if something on the inside of the facility is active," the pilot translated while activating the landing gear and beginning to fold the shuttle's wings. The transport touched down at the station's central landing pad, just in front of the facility itself. Finor raised the hood of his coat and turned to Caulgruf. The security captain grunted and turned, motioning for Finor to follow. They descended into the hold where the other security personnel waited and activated the ramp, which extended slowly. It was time to uncover the mystery of Qishi Station.

 

[Finor Amnen]

Finor practically jogged down the ramp in anticipation. If the problem was minimal, and they could contain it quickly . . . they just might make it out of this with little to no reputation damage.

"Hold up there, don't get too anxious." A thick arm stretched itself across Finor's chest, preventing him from stepping forward. Caulgruf took a few steps ahead of him. "My people will move in first. You're the VIP. You stay behind us." It made sense. Finor complied.

The ten security guards fanned out in a semicircle and kneeled, heads swiveling for any immediate danger. After a few moments, the captain ordered them to begin moving to the main entrance. Step by step they creeped, pistols gripped in both hands, constantly eyeing the platforms and bridges outside of the building. A burst of steam erupted from nearby machinery, causing Finor to immediately duck and fall to the ground. Laughter from the guards prompted his standing back up.

"Never been in possible deadly situations, before, sir?" Caulgruf jabbed, shaking his head. Finor scowled. "Alright, we're at the door. Dyn, open it up with the control panel."

The guard closed the distance to the door panel quickly and inputted the correct code to open the door. It creaked and resisted for a moment, then yielded and slid open. The entry hallway was dark, its lights off or broken. Around the corner of the hallway, light could be seen emanating distantly.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Finor muttered.

 

[Finor Amnen]

The group anxiously crept down the entryway. Each step could be heard echoing down the dark corridor and back. Finor began breathing heavily. Perhaps he shouldn't have come. His mind abandoned rational thought and started thinking of all of the most ominous and horrifying possibilities. Perhaps a deadly plague had spread through the facility. Perhaps the First Order struck the facility for resources. Whatever irrational idea came to mind, Finor believed in that brief moment.

"Stop here," Caulgruf barked, raising a fist. "I'll check around the -" His sentence was interrupted by a tremendous roar from behind them. Finor felt a wave of energy push against him, driving him to the ground. A blast of heat followed it. What the hell?

"MOVE! INTO THE FACILITY!" Caulgruf near screamed. Finor picked up his head from the ground and looked back at the landing pad outside. It was strewn with debris and flaming bits of metal. The shuttle was completely destroyed. Finor could faintly make out several figures emerge from their hiding places outside, moving towards him and the other shocked guards. It looked like they were armed. Finor felt a hand grab the back of his coat's hood and forcefully drag him backwards, deeper into Qishi Station. It was Caulgruf.

A streak of red laser flew right above Finor and slammed into the ceiling above, showering sparks. "They're - they're firing at us!" Finor mumbled, still not fully realizing what had happened. He noticed a couple of the security guards lay crumpled at the door to the facility, and several others crouching, firing back at the unknown attackers. A grenade landed in the narrow hallway, rolling to a stop at the boots of one such guard. FInor's eyes widened and his mouth hung open until he was dragged around the hallway corner, unable to see the effects of the explosive.

BOOM! The detonator went off, sending a mangled heap of a man flying into the hall intersection in front of Finor.

 

[Finor Amnen]

"Gryf, close the blast doors!" Caulgruf shouted at one of the three remaining officers still with them. He quickly hurried over the torn bodies of other security members and slammed his fist at the control panel. The heavy entrance door screeched close as the enemy combatants closed in. A couple last streaks of red heat flew into the hallway, crashing into the wall with a thunderous force.

Finor was shocked. "What in the... Who are they? Why are they attacking us?" He half-asked, half-shouted at Caulgruf. The gruff man appeared to be a bit dazed for a moment. "Hell if I know. Didn't get a read on their uniforms," he growled, stroking his beard for a moment. He refocused and peered out into the darkened facility, away from the door. "They seemed well armed. Let's try to find a map of the facility and an alternate exit. I wouldn't be surprised if they can get through the blast doors."

Finor nodded, thoughts swirling inside his head. Caulgruf assessed the condition of his three remaining team members, verified they were uninjured, and turned. He fumbled with something on his utility belt before revealing a flashlight. They began to move forward, the beam of light sweeping the eerily silent walls and corridors. Caulgruf extended his arm to Finor as they walked. His hand held a small blaster pistol. "You might need this, sir."

 

[Finor Amnen]

The group jogged throughout the maze of corridors with the dark and obscure facility. Caulgruf stared intensely at a datapad on his wrist, displaying the blueprint of the mine, as he led his nervous companions along. Finor could barely keep up as the ever-stoic security captain continued along at a brisk pace.

"Looks like there's a lower chute that extends out of the mountainside and towards the lower docks. Materials are sent through it for quick transport by shuttle. We should be able to fit through it, and possibly find a vehicle," he explained as he abruptly turned another corner. They had yet to encounter any employees or even droids manning the facility. Had they been killed? Captured? Tortured? Finor wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

They had just descended a staircase that led to the wide and expansive processing floor when the lights suddenly flashed on, blinding the party for a moment. "What the..." Finor began before he was greeted with the sight of roughly a dozen fighters with a variety of blaster rifles and pistols, all trained on him and the security officers. They quickly surrounded the stunned group, blocking off the way they had come.

A green-skinned quarren stepped forth, heavy blaster pointing menacingly. "Congratulations, friends. Providing you do not act foolishly, you will all survive this day," his voice rasped. "Drop your weapons, if you would be so kind." Finor had never seen a quarren before, and the several tentacles that occassionally jerked and swirled around his mouth made it hard to decipher the mood of the ambusher. Nonetheless, Finor was eager to escape with his life. There were truly only two options. They try to fight while outnumbered, and quickly get shot down (that was beside the point that Finor had never fired a weapon before), or they could oblige the towering quarren and possibly live. Finor favored possibly. He wasn't even sure he was holding the loaned pistol correctly.

Caulgruf raised his hands slowly, surely weighing the same two outcomes and choosing the latter. He knelt down and placed his weapon on the ground, and motioned for the other guards to do the same. Finor's fell to the ground with a rattle as it skidded across the floor; his hands were so sweaty that it had slipped from his hand.

Now it was time to hear out the mysterious attackers, and, if possible, be able to make it back home alive.