The Big Dig

[Atsushi Ono]

https://soundcloud.com/heil-das-ravenex-family/star-wars-ancient-sith-hymn-extended

Location 6: 10:35 GST; Hangar

The hangar was bustling with activity, more than usual. Dorn's eyes locked on a rather large shuttle as it passed through the environmental shield. It had no distinguishing marks on it, it was lightly armored and virtually without arms as well. Inside a wealth of knowledge.

He had looked for some of the best minds that the Galaxy had to offer for this project. Sadly the best was probably not what was going to come out of that bay door once it hissed open. Day in and day out he and the Shriek-Hawks had been ferrying young explorers and archaeologists to potentially one of the biggest historical finds in recent Mandalorian history.

Aeten II, according to records, had once been a planet that was mined to exhaustion for the rare and incredibly powerful Stygium crystal. At one point or another much of the surface had been destroyed, revealing new untapped caches of the crystal which led to the inevitable battles over its resources. It was rumored that the old, ancient Empire had once performed experiments regarding the crystal and its development on the planet before it was eventually complementary destroyed, creating a massive asteroid field around a dying core. With the power of modern science the planet itself would be reborn, but its death would forever mark this sector. The Dreighton Nebula already had a reputation of producing the supernatural and this myth was only made more terrifying by the ominous scene of half destroyed Mandalorian space stations and capital ships, their starfighters acting as tombs for thousands of pilots.

But the rumors of Starweirds and Ghost Ships didn't scare away the men and women that were now digging away at an ancient Imperial city found on this asteroid. Location 6, once the secret development grounds for MandalMotors, now its only foothold in the sector. His grip on the railing in front of him tightened as he watched the crew of the transport enter his domain. In a few minutes they would all be on their way to the Big Dig.

Spoiler

This is going to run similar to the various Treasure Hunt threads seen on the board. I won't be DM'ing much, do as you please within reason. Basically go from the main hub to The Big dig and there won't be an issues. Have fun exploring the Imperial Military city!
OOC

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Er'in Tenel was not a galactically renowed archeologist, or an expert on Imperial ruins... yet. She was however an apprentice in various sorcerous arts that were... difficult to find precise tuition in. So when the message from MandalMotors and the Mandalorian Empire had reached the ears of the CIS, she'd requested permission from higher parties (well, the Vicelord) to lead the representitives from the CIS.

Of course, the CIS might be at war with the Mandalorian Empire - that was a... bit unclear, and they were not that keen on force users. So gone were the robes and the fancy dresses, replaced instead with a plain servicable jumpsuit with a wealth of pockets and a trio of young archeological students from Ryloth university.

The Stygium was, frankly, a secondary concern to her mind. Now, ancient ghosts and old Imperial ruins... they had a great deal more potential, all things being equal.

Pressure equalised and the shuttle doors hissed open as she stepped off to look around the hanger, which looked... a lot like every other hanger in the galaxy, only with a lot more Mandalorians than one sees in an average hanger.

So far, it beat Dagobah hands down and was scoring well above the burning sands of Jakku. A girl might have a profession in this after all...

[member="Dorn Skirata"]

 

[Malcom Stillwater]

Location 6: 10:35 GST; Hangar​

The sound of boots clicking down the ramp announced the arrival of one Malcom Stillwater. Technically it was Dr. Stillwater, but he hated the stuffy title. Mal wore durable, yet comfortable pants which had a decent pockets which he filled with all of the essentials that one needed within hands reach while on a dig. His signature leather jacket over his cream colored long sleeve shirt finished the look, save for the slugthrower pistol that peeked out from his shoulder harness that he wore under his jacket. Slung over his left shoulder was his duffle bag, packed with the other essentials that didn't need to be within arms reach.

He exited his newly purchased HWK-290, lovingly named The Fool's Fortune and took in his surroundings as he waited for his partner to join him. [member="Daska Tess"], a fellow Archeologist and accomplished Professor. The hanger wasn't anything to write home about, but then no hanger really came to mind that had really caught his attention. Now the people milling about, they were way more interesting. The hustle and bustle of people scrambling around preparing for the dig put a certain spark in the air. A spark that Mal loved! The potential for adventure, the history that could be uncovered, the mysterious that could arise, it was electric.

The sound of another pair of boots clicking down the ramp announced the arrival of the beautiful Dr. Tess. She was more accepting of the title, and it suited her better than Mal.
He cocked his head to the side and gave her a grin. "See? I can land without crashing. and wait for it!" He looked around in an exaggerated manner "No one is shooting at us...yet."

Er'in Tenel
Dorn Skirata

 

[Malcom Stillwater]

Delete

 

[Alleycat]

Location 6: 10:35GST: Hangar​

​

As the Fool's Fortune docked, Daska turned on her newly purchased hand-held holorecorder and began documenting on video the expedition that fellow archeologist, [member="Malcom Stillwater"], had invited her to join him on.

"Dr. Stillwater and I are on the trail of an ancient Imperial city that has brought us here to Location 6 in the middle of Aeten II's asteroid belt. We have just landed inside the hangar built into the side of the asteroid, which is a chuck of the original planet that was destroyed from unsustainable mining methods by the Galactic Empire under Emperor Palpatine. Once inside the mining facility, we will make our way to the Big Dig site as the Mandalorians' call it to explore the remnants of old military bases that apparently survived the planet's break up for any artifacts that can be preserved for history sake."

It didn't take long for Malcom to exit the HWK-290 light freighter. The honey blonde was just as exited to be there, and with him, but took her measured time to gather her things before joining the Corellian at the bottom of the boarding ramp.

The history professor had learned long ago that digs could be dangerous so Daska had taken to carrying a blaster pistol holstered on one hip and a vibroknife sheathed on the other. Dressed similar to her companion though with a tank and shirt combo instead of a Henley, the Chandrilan opted to carry a back pack with her tools of trade inside. Golden tresses were pulled back into a messy ponytail bun to keep the hair out of her face, but there always were short strands that fell forward on the one side framing her face.

Daska took a quick puff of an inhaler, then slipped it into the inside pocket of her jacket before striding down the metal ramp. Malcom didn't know that she had been diagnosed with asthma recently, and hopefully he didn't need to know otherwise the man would get overprotective more than he already was, and maybe have a real reason to ditch her.

"You are right, you didn't... and no not yet any ways," Daska quipped back dryly, hazel browns giving the ruggedly handsome treasure hunter a knowing wink before adding. "Let's take a closer look, cowboy, and smile for the camera," she grinned aiming the holorecorder at Mal for a quick still shot.

[member="Dorn Skirata"] [member="Er'in Tenel"]

 

[Garlen Zorabos]

Garlen Zorabos came from his Quarters to Location six. Due to his wealth he was able to pay MandalMotors for the chance to find the rare crystal. Garlen and a deployment of 20 Bostadian Commandos* entered the hangar away from the group of treasure hunters. As soon as he saw no one was around he announced his sinister plans to the Commandos.

“Unit 344, your objective is to follow each one of these treasure hunters once you hit the city, make sure you are undetected unless they find a crystal. After the subject is disposed of** report back and await extraction. This artifact is crucial to Bostadian research. Understood?”

He received a “Yessir!” from the commandos. As the commandos left to their troop transport Garlen called over 2 of them.

“You too are to come with me.” Garlen commanded. The three went off to his shuttle.


*OOC: on mobile due to being away at college so I couldn’t link it properly. Here is the link if your interested at learning more of the commandos: http://starwarsrp.net/topic/112201-bostadian-clone-commandos/#entry1595723

**Also OOC: No I don’t expect my Commando’s to take you out but I thought it’d be Interesting to give you all some more challenge! Please feel free to take them out! But be warned they are well trained so it won’t be too too easy.

[member="Daska Tess"] @Malcolm Stillwater @Er’in Tenel [member="Dorn Skirata"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Er'in looked over at the real archeologists as the chatter caught her ears. Hmm. To introduce herself or not? If she got caught in something she should know, her disguise, such as it was, would evaporate fast. On the other hand, they likely knew a lot more real archeology than she'd so far managed to pick up in her tour of ancient ruined dark side sites throughout the galaxy, and she rather suspected she knew more about the dark side bit.

And she could taste that bit on the wind, ever so faintly. Evil, even by her warped standards, lurked somewhere in those ruins. Genuine horror.

So why not? The Mandalorians could handle themselves and she suspected they wouldn't give too much aid to their researchers.

She walked slowly over to [member="Daska Tess"] and [member="Malcom Stillwater"], waiting quietly out of shot until the first bit of footage had been recorded, then hefted her large rucksack and stepped forward to introduce herself.

"Hi! I'm Er'in, from the Ryloth Academy. I've got to assume you're both here for the dig?" Her tone was about as far from the clipped glass of Hapes as it could go, but there was still no hiding her fundamental high class upbringing, and that's no Rylothian accent. Also, she lacked Lekku. "Are you, uh, expecting to get shot at?"

Which was a stupid newbie question. She'd already been shot at twice and stabbed once, and she was new at this. It was definitely an occupational hazard.

[member="Garlen Zorabos"]

 

[Malcom Stillwater]

Location: Hangerbay​

Interacting with: Daska Tess, Er'in Tenal​

In view of: Garlen Zorabos​

Mal stroke a quick pose for his counterpart wielding her new toy. It was while he was posing, that he saw the group of soldiers enter the hanger. He couldn't make out many details, or hear what they were saying, but a group of 20 or so heavily armed individuals was next to impossible to keep discrete when entering a hanger bay. ​That's a lot of muscle for a dig.... then again, it is being sponsored by Mandos...
​​
He was shaken out of his thoughts by the arrival of a fellow scholar.
"Wait, this isn't a couples retreat?" He turned to Daska and jokingly quipped. "Babe, get back on the ship, we made a wrong turn." He chuckled as he turned his attention back to the woman who had identified herself as Er'in. "Yes, we are here for the dig, and any umbrella drinks if they are offering them." Holding out his hand to Er'in. "I'm Malcom, this is Dr. [member="Daska Tess"]" he motioned towards Daska as he made the introductions.
"So, Ryloth Academy huh? Glad to have you here. I've helped them out on some digs in the past. You have a great program over there."

Er'in Tenel
Garlen Zorabos
Dorn Skirata

 

[Alleycat]

Hangar Bay
w/[member="Malcom Stillwater"], [member="Er'in Tenel"]
In vicinity: [member="Garlen Zorabos"]
---

Daska got the holo footage she wanted with the palm-size handycam of the ruggedly handsome Corellian, then followed Malcom's gaze as his blue eyes went from her to the soldier types that had just entered the hangar bay. They looked like well-funded mercenaries too. Hopefully that didn't mean things on the expedition were going to get fun. Why did things always seem to get that way when she was with Mal? He definitely was trouble of a kind Daska wasn't sure she liked or rather craved.

Couples retreat... Babe? What?! Oh....... another female, but... and of course now after getting a closer look at the raven-haired beauty he introduces me as doctor. Men?!

Ryloth Academy... Had she missed a memo on a new archeology center of excellence in the Outer Rim? The Chandrila University professor sure didn't think so, but... the galaxy was changing minute by minute nowadays. Daska was looking forward to finding out more about this academy from both of them for different reasons.

"Hello... Nice to meet you, Er'in. Please call me just Daska. We're all colleagues here, right?" the petite honey blonde smiled, offering her hand for a shake as well to the young woman.

[member="Dorn Skirata"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Location: Hangerbay
Interacting with: Daska Tess, [member="Malcom Stillwater"]
In view of: Garlen Zorabos

"Sure." Er'in replied to Daska with a friendly nod, before turning her gaze back to Malcom Stillwater as she continues talking. "Besides, I never know who I'm talking to when everyone is called 'Doctor' - and I'm just a post-grad who happens to have a talent for organisation..."

She waves a hand at two Twi'lek and the faintly out of place looking Bothan accompanying her.

"... we don't have a professor who specialises in Civil War era relics, but the four of us have... uh, ambitions in that direction, I guess you could say." She gives a not-entirely-innocent shrug.

"So uh, aside from umbrella cocktails - which I didn't think they served in Imperial commissaries back then... and might kinda have gone off, are you here for anything in particular?"

[member="Daska Tess"] | [member="Malcom Stillwater"]

 

[Malcom Stillwater]

Location: Hangerbay​

Interacting with: [member="Daska Tess"], [member="Er'in Tenel"]​

In vicinity: [member="Dorn Skirata"], [member="Garlen Zorabos"]​

Mal listened to Er'in as she spoke, occasionally glancing over to see if he could see more of those commando looking types.
"Organizations skills are very useful out here in the field, it's why I always travel light" He dropped his pack to the floor to add to his point "much less to organize!" he exclaimed.
He nodded to the two Twi'leks and the Bothan who had just joined them. "Well the civil war was such a fascinating time, I can understand the appeal." He said as he scratched his chin.

As Er'in asked about the particulars of his and Daska's interest on this expedition, he quickly glanced over at Daska to see if she had any input before offering his own. "Well, I guess you can say that we are here to catalog what is ​really ​here. There are lots of myths and legends about what could have been lost here. We are here to discover the truth."

​​Changing the subject briefly. "Tell me something, is Dr. Carlisle Barnes still teaching Antique Restoration over there at the Academy? He was basically an antique himself, I would hope he would have retired by now..." he asked looking to Er'in, smiling and keeping his friendly demeanor. However, Daska would be able to see that there was more to Mal's question.
It was probably nothing, but there was something off about the 'post-grad'. Carlisle Barnes wasn't a professor at the Ryloth Academy, in fact he was one of the janitors. But if Er'in was who she said she was, then she would know that there wasn't any professor Barnes. If she didn't, then what was she hiding...?

 

[Atsushi Ono]

Doors hissed open near the small gathering of guards, explorers and archaeologists. Dorn clad in his white and red armor flanked by two other Mandalorians stepped into the room and regarded the group for a moment.

"I hope that you find what is really here as well. We're all very interested in the city Dr. Stillwater." Dorn's helmet snapped as the magnetic locks and environmental seal broke open. "Welcome to Location 6. The tram will be arriving shortly to take you into the heart of the city. Our own efforts have revealed little so our hope is that you all can find some way to crack Palpatine's Code. We've restored power to part of the city but most of it remains dark. Don't stray too far outside of the environmental shield we've set up, the area is far larger than we could have imagined so the entire city isn't all protected. We've already lost three foolhardy explorers."

The tram arrived, a robotic voice over the loudspeaker announced that its next location was the Big Dig. It was time.

[member="Malcom Stillwater"] @Er'in Tenel [member="Daska Tess"] [member="Garlen Zorabos"]

 

[Mythos]

There was one thing Mythos loved more than killing Jedi and war with Galactic Alliance: being so deep in an Archaeological Dig that he could not see the sun anymore. During his time in the One Sith he had a siege here in Aten II against the mandalorian forces that occupied it at the time. That seemed like eons ago today...

At first Glance Mythos did not look very imposing, just another archaeologist after another score deep in the muck and grime of the backwater worlds of the galaxy. He brought with him his own team, formerly his now deceased wife's team. His lightsabers were quietly tucked away inside his jacket and alongside his men was a lot of equipment.

Sonar disks and the systems he had used before in Korriban during his several digs. They blasted the ground with vibrations that bounced back from the very core of the planet up and then relayed to him the ground to a certain reasonable degree of accuracy. Gravsleds galore; if it was a big dig there was bound to be a lot of debris and rocks that needed to be moved from one place to another. Particle Separators: Not the favorite of any University graduate Doctors because of protocol but Mythos had found they expedited the process of clearing artifacts for separation a lot quicker than the classic brush and pincer.

Mythos kept himself at the back, surrounded by his own men and hired workers as [member="Dorn Skirata"] gave his speech. Three gone already? Mythos narrowed his eyes at that. he could not sense anything particularly wrong other than the usual stench of death sprinkled with centuries through the force but he knew enough about Archaeological sites of this nature to know that workers just don't go missing. He gave his men a wary eye, they nodded back. This would be interesting the tram that was coming should be able to haul his equipment, if not they would leave some here and double back around for it.

"Everyone with a communicator at all times at full charge. No one here is getting Lost"

[member="Malcom Stillwater"] @Er'in Tenel [member="Garlen Zorabos"] [member="Daska Tess"]​

 

[Wolf Trammer]

The Deceit was... by all definitions the pinnacle of both luxury and practicality. Two in one. Every time Raveem had a trip in where he got to pilot this amazing vessel, he had to go around and enjoy the ride, even when he was sitting in the cockpit most of the time. Though, the trip through hyperspace gave him the chance to relax a bit... the only time he actually had to relax. He might as well enjoy it now, because where he was going, he doubted there was going to be anything but comfortable. Looking at the blue tunnel like surrounding his vessel as it traveled, he could not help but wonder... and feel paranoid about this tip. He was always nervous about them. Sure, his contacts in the Spynet were trustworthy... but he didn't trust anyone. And, if they were dounle agents he could be flying into a trap. However, there was a way to make sure this wasn't a false lead... and that was the invitation's genuine language and point of origin. It was true, it came from MandalMotors, "looking for professionals." Oh, he was a professional all right.

Vas'ah entered the hangar and landed near some of tbe ships that were already docked there. Out of all them, his looked out of place, like a luxury liner among old freighters. Something like that. Raveem didn't like to stand out, people might get suspicios, yet he had the contradicting desire to draw attention of other people. The more people he could charm... the better chances he had of making Credits. In his line of work he had learned something, and that is, everyone always wants something. And... that is where Raveem comes in. A brocker of goods and other... services. Perhaps, he could make some money on the side whilr performing his primary objective. Steal as much information from MandalMotors as he could and sell it to rival companied who had already paid a "finders fee". Even if Raveem failed to obtain the information, he still had made some money in the long run. Not a bad deal, eh?

Another thing that stood out were his robes. He seemed like he belonged in a merchant square... not a dirty hangar. But, even when some may think the robes were for show, they were more than that. Hidden pockets, beacon, and a few other goodies in case of emergencies. And, of course his trusty datapad. Now, it was up to him to carry out the dirty work... where to start?

 

[Isaiah Dashiell]

Location: The Big Dig, just outside of the environmental Shield

​

The quiet. It was nice. He gazed at the stars and asteroid belt surrounding them. He gazed at the planet tucked neatly behind the graveyard of ships and shokita prospecting stations. How long had it been since he had been in this sector of space?

"Not long enough," he muttered to himself. The last time he was here he was salvaging one of the stations when he and everyone aboard were attacked by Starwierds. He honestly had no clue who else had survived that day at the station, but the screams of the Starwierds would forever be etched into his mind.

Maybe it was because he was Force Sensetive, or maybe they were just that powerful, but they had left their mark and when Mags had told him his new assignment was here, back in the Aeten II asteroids he nearly quit GUIDE but she always had a way to get him to say yes.

So here he was.

Silence was broken by radio transmission: "Hey, Izzy, get your arse back inside the barrier, that oxygen supply is for emergencies only!" With a heavy sigh, it was back to work.

 

[Er'in Tenel]

"Dr Barnes?" Er'in might not be the real thing, but political and social manipulation was something she'd done since she was six and she'd long since done her homework. "I don't know anyone by that name... Dr Lev'vek is the head of Restoration and Preservation and Jan'vre heads up antiquities storage for him." She smiled and shrugged. "Maybe he was there before my time?"

As Dorn approached, she turned and nodded seriously, then looked to the other three behind her. "Don't make it four, or worse." She somehow doubted that - not that she was willing to sacrifice the students she'd brought with her, but her novice force sense was screaming that terror lay beyond that tram. Which... made a great deal of sense. But Darth Sidious was perhaps the strongest Galactic Emperor in recent history - the recent One Sith didn't count, and Er'in wanted badly to know why every supposed Sith Lord ended up dead rather than free of their chains.

She turned back to Malcom Stillwater. "From what I know, the truth has a habit of being unpleasant in these places. How about we pool our resources on this one? I'm not personally interested in the monogram - although credit would be nice." She smiled winningly. "This is for the experience - I don't know if I can help crack this code of Palpatine, but I'm pretty good with numbers at least."

[member="Malcom Stillwater"] [member="Dorn Skirata"]

 

[Alleycat]

Hangar Bay
Interacting w/ [member="Er'in Tenel"], [member="Malcom Stillwater"]
In vicinity [member="Dorn Skirata"], [member="Garlen Zorabos"], [member="Mythos"], [member="Raveem Va'ah"], [member="Isaiah Dashiell"]

"Not the truth... Archeology is the search for facts. Truths are for philosophers to debate about." the petite history professor corrected the rugged Corellian with a wink. "I'm here to document the findings."

Finally the Mandalorian in-charge of Location 6 arrived and gave his spiel on the details of the situation down below. Sounded like the environment they were going to be working in would be challenging, but that had never stopped the treasure hunting pair before.

There was just something off about the raven-haired beauty, but Daska just couldn't put her finger on it as of yet. She gave a nod to the woman's associates with her, then the honey blonde's hazel eyes drifted to the others standing in the hangar bay awaiting the green light to begin, some with quite the means too with them. This was going to be a very busy dig, and competitive it seemed. That could only mean one thing... There was most likely going to be fun.

"Huh, break the Code of Palpatine... Now that would be an impressive feat." the Chandrilan commented, then tilted her golden head towards the tram. "It's time to get a move on."

 

[Atsushi Ono]

Dorn nodded and spun towards the tram. Maybe it was unconscious, or maybe it was on purpose but it seemed as if the chalk skinned Mandalorian was trying a little too hard to be cool. His short cape fluttered behind him on his pivot and his two guards followed closely behind him. The tram would have no trouble fitting the large group and bringing them to the Big Dig.

[member="Daska Tess"] @Er'in Tenel [member="Raveem Va'ah"] @Mythos @Malcom Stillwater [member="Garlen Zorabos"]

 

[Er'in Tenel]

Er'in watched Dorn for a moment as he boarded the tram, then nodded.

"It would." She replied honestly to Daska. "Lets not hold this thing up any longer then."

She beckoned to the three people with her, then walked onto the train after their Mandalorian guide.

 

[Malcom Stillwater]

Hangar Bay
Interacting w/ Er'in Tenel, Daska Tess
In vicinity Dorn Skirata, Garlen Zorabos, Mythos, Raveem Va'ah, Isaiah Dashiell

​

Mal nodded at Er'in's suggestion to work together. Though he had his reservations, it seemed more prudent to work together. Especially since there were lots of unknowns that kept popping up. Already four dead? As tragic as this news was, it was already starting to sound like the digs he usually found himself in.

He smiled as Daska once again corrected him, a common occurrence. Though she was right, Mal had discovered that in the field, nothing was ever black and white. But he chose to pick his battles and concede to her win... this time.

He followed the others onto the tram and took a seat next to Daska.