Public A Window for Discovery

[Derron Daks]

DDSI HORIZON

​

"All due respect Horizon, your troops transports will be needed to evac your people on the ground. As Nightshift found these pods, I would find it more agreeable that they retain the pod, should they succeed in excavating it. Consider our transports at the ready,."


Simmerlin frowned. He wasn't as heavily implanted as the Chief, and retained enough of his human personality to be irked at the Mother's Bane and their assumptions about Horizon's capabilities. The Horizon's transports were specifically designed to lift objects to and from orbit, above and beyond their formidable internal capacity.

But he knew the Chief wanted cooperation, so he resisted the urge to argue. To his mind, this wasn't about transports. It was about Mother's Bane making sure she and Nightshift got their fair share of the pie.

Well... none of them were likely to be in this business out of a sense of charity.

The Chief might... but even he understood that credits made the worlds turn.

---

ON THE PLANET BELOW...
​

Led by her instincts and The Force, Lina ably touched the correct keys, and a mechanism within the vault door shifted. As it did so, the red light of the locking mechanism turned blue. The color shift was more than superficial. The Dark Side that previously emanated from the mechanism was replaced by a powerful Light Side emanation.

It was a sickly, sweet emanation to anyone attuned to the Dark Side of the Force. It repelled Dark Siders, creating a desire to recoil from its emanations. The more powerful one's attunement to the Dark Side, the more repulsive the emanation would become.

It was only now that the true purpose of the mechanism became clear.

It wasn't just a lock. It was a trap. Meant to create a threshold where no Dark Siders could pass.

"Impressive," Derron declared. He could have spent all day working on that lock without solving it, even with his enhanced cognitive abilities. She'd done it in a single try. Clearly, she'd been keen and clever enough to discern some pattern he'd missed. Some clue as to how the mechanism operated.

While the portal had become repulsive to anyone attuned to the Dark Side, those who were not Force Sensitive had no such impediment. Derron reached over and pulled the door open, incidentally relieving Lina of the repulsive energies. As the door swung open, its emanations were redirected in a safe direction.

Behind the portal was a strange alien control center. Deteriorated over time, its alien occupants still sat at their chairs. They were long dead, decayed where they sat. Their original forms were difficult to discern. Had there been flesh, at one time? Part of what was visible seemed like an exoskeleton. Vaguely insectoid. Part of it seemed like an endoskeleton. Perhaps this species had evolved some hybrid skeletal structure?

Connections flowed from machinery into their decrepit, decayed forms. Some kind of cybernetic interface? If so, it didn't seem compatible with Derron's own implants and ports. Like so much else about this facility, it was utterly alien.

"I have never seen this species before," Derron declared, his suit's scanners whirring incessantly to soak up every bit of data about the chamber, "I think they are completely unknown to modern science."

​

Lina Ovmar
Derron Daks

​

 

[Kasmion Duum]

Something felt...off. Kasmion couldn't find a better word than that. It took him quite a while to speak up again on the shared channel, time in which explorers went about their business and probe scans trickled down screen overlays. He watched the footage closely, trying to put his finger on what had triggered that feeling.

Absent better answers, he began entrenching various preparations. The Nightshift brought its shields online. Weapons remained deactivated but at a one-minute readiness state. The probes stayed on station; the Nightshift kept transmitting probe data at regular intervals to the Horizon and the Mother's Bane.

He asked himself plainly whether this feeling rose to the level where a quick exit was appropriate. So far, the answer felt like no.

For the moment, he would wait.

Lina Ovmar Derron Daks

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina recoiled as the energy changed, scrambling back across the floor. To Derron it probably looked like she was giving distance in case of a trap, but for her the trap had already been sprung. Pulling herself to her feet, she fought the urge to vomit inside her suit, leaning against the wall breathing heavily.

"Boss?" her bodyguard asked in a low voice taking half a step towards her. The smallest shake of her head, and a subtle hand gesture. It caught her off guard, but she would recover. Closing her eyes, she drew deep steadying breaths, battling with a churning stomach. Just when she thought she might lose, Derron moved the door and she was granted relief.

Confidence that all would be well had ebbed, to be replaced with caution. "Get those droids back to the shuttles." she hissed.

"But-"

"Do it. I will be fine."

Another steadying breath, she moved to follow Derron inside, her steps slow, careful, less she trigger another trap and she moved round the room, inspecting the bodies and the cybernetic interfaces. "They just sat here, and died?" She thought aloud "I've never seen anything like them, but I can't any signs of damage like we've already seen, the skeletons are healthy, no sign of disease. Their just..." she trailed off, following the cybernetic lines that ran into the ceiling.

"There's an old legend that originates from somewhere in the outer rim about a fallen jedi who preserved his conscience in a computer..." Lina moved to inspect the consoles around the room, looking for any indicators. "I mean, its a legend, but its technically plausible but steeped in dark side which that door absolutely was not. Maybe..." her mind was working over time lining up a dozen possibilities. All of which came to the same conclusion. Whatever happened next was not likely to go in her favour, but she would help push the button anyway.

High risk, high reward. There was knowledge and power here and she wanted it.

Derron Daks Kasmion Duum

 

[Derron Daks]

ON THE PLANET'S SURFACE
INSIDE THE ALIEN STRUCTURE
​

Derron joined her in tracing the cables and wiring of the room.

"What you describe is the proverbial pinnacle of Yakan aspiration. All Yaka are cybernetically implanted from a young age, enhanced well past our biological limits. We were initially a primitive species who became a pet uplifting project of the Arkanians, but have evolved our own sophisticated culture. We now enhance ourselves by choice, and have become among the most capable sentients of the galaxy.

But we are still tied to flawed, weak flesh.

Ascending into a pure digital form would be- to many Yaka- the height of the evolutionary progress."

As he spoke, he was finally able to settle upon a simple greenish electronic module in an alcove of the room.

"A bio-neural gel chip of remarkable synaptic density. You may be correct. They could have uploaded their entire consciousnesses to such a device. Or, even if consciousness could not be preserved, perhaps the raw data and recollections of their intellect.

It should be possible to remove the chip and place it in a stasis pod for further analysis."

Even as he prepared his tools to extract the electronic artifact, he could not help but reflect on Lina's observation that these people had simply sat here and chosen to die. Sealed in by a vault door. Why?

If they had intended to upload their minds to a computer, they'd never have needed their bodies aboard at all. Why this elaborate control room? Why not just send the electronics to the station, and dispose of the bodies elsewhere?

No... these people had never intended to die here. They had not intended to perish in these chairs. Chairs which would have been unnecessary if they intended to live solely within a machine.

So... why?

As if in answer to that question, a loud electronic hum sounded from just outside the chamber. Derron did not immediately recognize the sound, but Lina would. So too might the cautious Kasmion, who could hear everything that transpired on the open channel.

Derron turned, and his suit's built-in scanners would now add the telemetry of the data collected to the channel that connected their efforts here.

The figure standing in the antechamber was not immediately recognizable to Derron.

But to others, with different experiences and knowledge of history, it might have seemed familiar. It was not a perfect image, but it held a strong uncanny resemblance to a lost species that once dominated the galaxy.

The Rakata.

The Rakata had been Dark-Siders who preceded the Sith themselves on the Galactic stage, with mastery of the Force which was legendary among those who knew such histories... and virtually unknown to all others.

"AT LONG LAST, MY WAITING IS AT AN END," the creature hissed. The language was Rakatan, but this much was decipherable to anyone who had studied Sith tongues. The core of the Rakatan language had been absorbed by the Sith long ago, when they were still under the dominion of the Rakatan Empire.

Lina Ovmar Kasmion Duum

 

[Kasmion Duum]

The new voice drove a hot poker up Kasmion's spine. He jolted straight in his chair. He didn't know the language, and a glance at his Ithorian comms officer told him Murrek was equally baffled.

"Murrek," said Kasmion, squinting at the footage, "pipe this down to the protocol unit. I'd like to know what was said and in what language-"

The thing was done almost before he'd asked. The answer came with a certainty level of 53%. Instinct whispered the other 47. The analysts' visual ID on the new arrival confirmed it a moment later.

"That is a Rakata," Kasmion said on the shared channel. "Pre-Republic xenophobic paranormal amphibian. I suggest a prompt exit or heavy guns."

Lina Ovmar Derron Daks

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina reacted to the hum before anything else, danger sense kicking in, she'd spun one eighty, her own lightsaber slapping into her palm, both ends igniting with a hiss.

Her knowledge of ancient sith was limited to written, not spoken. "Mr Daks," Lina said calmly "I suggest you extract that chip quickly." She moved slowly placing herself between him and the Rakatan. "I won't be able to keep him busy for long."

She settled into a defensive stance, waiting. "Leilah?"

---

Abaord the Mothers Bane, Leilah was transficed to the screen, mouth hanging open in a small 'o' of surprise. Lina's voice snapped her out of it.

"All ground units, withdraw, I repeat, withdraw."

She turned to the crew manning the sensor suite. "Extend our scanners and sweep the system, I want to know what's out here that isn't us, Nightshift or Horizon."

She glanced back to the video feed, and swallowed her fear. Lina was more than capable. "Shields up."

Derron Daks Kasmion Duum

 

[Derron Daks]

ON THE PLANET'S SURFACE
INSIDE THE ALIEN STRUCTURE
​

Derron's gaze lingered briefly on the lightsaber she ignited. One of the rarer two-bladed variety. It reinforced two notions in his mind. First, that he knew precious little about his allies in this expedition. And Second, that the stories commonly told about the non-Jedi of the galaxy were not true. At least, not entirely true. Lina had been a logical, intelligent partner working methodically towards a goal. Not some mad-dog villain driven to violence by the Dark Side of the invisible and little-understood 'Force.'

He nodded and went to work, opening the alien data-storage unit and working to carefully extract its chip as the distant but knowledgeable Kasmion gave them a brief overview of the species or nationality of this being.

The Rakata, meanwhile, observed Lina with its red eyes. It spoke again, though not everyone present was well-equipped to understand it. "THE UNCLEAN, WITH AN IMITATION OF OUR POWER? HOW CAN THIS BE? HAVE YOU STOLEN IT, OR ARE YOU SLAVES OF THE RAKATA?"

The creature lifted its blade as it spoke, preparing for a battle which seemed increasingly inevitable. Its weapon greatly resembled a lightsaber, but it was not one. It was a far older device, perhaps unique to the Rakatan Empire. Like so much of their technology, it was powered purely through their connection to the Dark Side of the Force. It was a manifestation of its will and power, and burned every bit as hot as Lina's weapon.

Meanwhile, in the lands around the site, Lina's forces were pulling back. In the stars above, ships peered into the void, seeking evidence of where this creature had come from.

But it was becoming increasingly evident that there were no new arrivals. No secreted vessels. No... this creature had not 'arrived.' It had been here. Perhaps for many thousands of years.

The evidence was thin, but the conclusions clawed at the minds of everyone present. This was the threat which had caused the native aliens to lock themselves in their control room. This was the threat which had attempted to cut through the wall and the vault door. Perhaps it was even the threat which had brought this facility down out of orbit.

"I'll need just a minute," Derron declared as he worked on the chip, "Perhaps two. Horizon, prepare all units for emergency evacuation with the option of ground support. Anti-contamination protocols in effect."

The Rakata hesitated, waiting for a response to his query. But whether anyone could understand it, or give a proper response, was unknown.




Lina Ovmar Kasmion Duum

 

[Kasmion Duum]

The great thing about surrounding yourself with professionals — about traveling with a ship of analysts and subject matter experts — was moments just like this.

Kasmion routed the comm signal to a protocol droid along with a text feed for immediate best-guess translation. A compatible set of instructions rerouted one of the nearby probes, which swooped in close to take a position above the ruined station. A customs-enforcement-grade loudspeaker fired up. A voice shivered in the steel. It spoke clumsy but fundamentally sound Rakata.

<MY NAME IS KASMION DUUM. YOUR PEOPLE DIED THREE HUNDRED CENTURIES AGO. THEY HAVE ONE STRONGHOLD PLANET NOW. LET THESE PEOPLE GO. I WILL GIVE YOU A SMALL SHIP AND THE MAP TO YOUR PLANET.>

Lina Ovmar Derron Daks

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina eyes the weapon in the creatures hand, shifting her stance the lightsaber moving to a diagonal crossed guard as she remained firmly between him and Derron, waiting for the inevitable attack. She did not for one second think that this was not going to end in a fight, but she was also not going to make

Lina shook her head as the rakatan spoke again. to her surprise the Nightshift's responded, in what sounded something like Rakatan. Close enough she hoped.

"Lina," Leilah's voice cut through, the formal title of captain dropped, which meat she was on edge. "There is nothing on our long range scanners. He has been there this whole time."

"Which means he's responsible for the mess outside, the marks on the door and probably wants the chip. Mr Duum," she addressed the Nightshift directly, "Can you feed me a translation, I don't need to speak to him, I just need to understand." As she spoke, a dark pool of ichor formed at her feet, dark tendrils of the force forming around her ankles. Ready and waiting.

Derron Daks Kasmion Duum

 

[Derron Daks]

ON THE PLANET'S SURFACE
INSIDE THE ALIEN STRUCTURE

​

Duum.

A Duum that offered Deliverance.

Shralkon considered the words being delivered by the hovering probe.

It was everything he'd wanted. Everything he'd endured the countless years for.

Well... almost everything.

His eyes shifted and focused on the Unclean female for a moment. She was exhibiting interesting powers. Powers even the Rakata did not know. They would not avail her, of course. These talents were weaker than those of the Rakata. And yet... innovation. Development of the Force in new directions. How long had he been here, waiting?

It felt like an eternity.

Perhaps it had been.

Shralkon pointed past the woman, at the large primitive man who stood beyond her, tampering with the cradle.

"I must have more than a ship. More than a map. I must have that information, which the primitive gorilla claws out of the cradle with his ape's tools."

Derron worked quickly but carefully at the bio-chip, unaware that he was being insulted. Not that he was likely to care, had he known. The Yaka were well aware of their primitive nature, and were very glad to have been elevated beyond it.

"Give it to me, and I shall allow you all to live."

Shralkon took a step closer to Derron, and thereby closer to Lina.

It may have looked like the commencement of hostilities.

---

Lina Ovmar
Kasmion Duum

 

[Kasmion Duum]

The simplest and most impactful way that Kasmion could contribute to the situation, so far as he could tell, was to comply with Lina Ovmar 's request. Now that the language was pinned down and the right files uploaded and compiled by the interlinked protocol droid who was doing the actual speaking, his comms crew began piping real-time translation to Lina and to Derron Daks , as well as their ships. It wouldn't let them speak Rakata, but then again hardly anyone could speak Rakata. Even this translation was fairly crude.

The gist still got through: the Rakata wanted the ship, the map, and whatever piece of salvage Daks was trying to secure.

Kasmion considered a near future when he needed to engage the Rakata more directly. In the meantime, Daks needed time to secure the thing, whatever the thing might be; then different options would open up.

<I WILL SPEAK WITH MY ALLIES,> said the probe's loudspeaker voice from outside the ruin. <I WILL GIVE YOU THE SHIP AND THE MAP, AND ALLIES OF YOUR OWN. MORE RAKATA LIVED.>