The Pandora's Box On Merson

[Stephanie Swail]

The Crash Site
Merson, Merson System​

This was a neutral world, so they said. Between the Republic and One Sith space. From her encounter on Taboon, she had been guided to the coordinates on Merson, a dank forest world, to a recently downed research ship.

As she was piecing together the puzzle of the attacked Republic Facility where she had come from, this was as good a lead as ever if it was connected. Hopefully she would find a link, or even those taken, en-route to the Sith core.

Now she was on her own – no shield and no back-up. Nothing except a stolen lightsaber and her DC blaster by her side. While it was a dangerous expedition to take alone, she had nothing else to lose and nowhere else to go.

Her tight fitting jumpsuit provided the warmth needed, and her Republic colours weren’t screaming neutrality, but she wasn’t worried about being associated with the Light. This was a mission of mercy, and if anyone questioned her, she had enough reason being here than anyone else.

From where the transport shuttle had dropped her off, the awesome sight of the downed craft was ahead on the horizon, it’s engines jutting from the ground and an eerie calm all around. It was quiet, warm and peaceful. Stephanie set off at a gentle jog, with her pick-up time in a matter of hours; she had no time to waste if she was to explore and return to Taboon in one piece.

[member="Krayzen Dratos"] | [member="Synth-1"]

 

[Synth-1]

The ship lay dormant in the distance, as it had for nearly a decade hence. The crew was long dead even before the crash, their lives ended by the cataclysmic malfunction that had set the vessel adrift in the first place. Even the residue of that terrible occurrence had long ago faded into obscurity, leaving the derelict nothing but a shell devoid of life, sitting proudly at the crest of the now-lush valley it had carved into the countryside on impact. There was no telling what might lie hidden within, as any information regarding the contents of the ship had been a closely guarded secret since its inception. The full details of its cargo and facilities were known only to a few key personnel, the ship's encrypted logs, and the sith that had requisitioned the vessel.

The rumors, however, spoke of advanced technology and alchemical wonders the likes of which the galaxy had not seen in thousands of years. Weapons a man could hold in a single hand, yet could destroy an entire battalion of troops with a single shot. Personal defenses capable of resisting starship grade weaponry. Droids so devastating that a small handful could conquer entire star systems. The stories varied as widely as the beings that told them, and each added their own flair to the legends. Few had ever discovered its final resting place, however, and none of those that had lived to tell the tale. It was clear there was something dangerous about the ship and its contents, even after the crew was long dead, but there was no way the rumors could all be true. Technology like that simply wasn't possible.

At least, that's what the treasure hunters told themselves when they inevitably lost their nerve. It had to be something else. Just a reactor leak or a malfunction in the environmental systems. If the radiation didn't get you, then the toxic air inside would do the job. That had to be it. Nothing more than a run of the mill maintenance issue, they would say, then turn back to their drinks and move on to the next topic.

The truth, however, was decidedly less simple.


[member="Stephanie Swail"], [member="Krayzen Dratos"]

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

The destruction of the 'Galactic' Republic was near, at least in Krayzen's opinion. After a streak of victories, and destroying a large amount of the Republic's cloud, Krayzen had been ordered by the upper echelon of the One Sith to do scout a potential outpost in order to monitor Galactic Republic activities. It was a useless mission in his opinion, but a soldier followed orders most of the time, and Krayzen would do so as well.

The Anzati would have preferred to wear his standard equipment, but Krayzen had decided to just carry 2x lightsabers, and a verpine shatter gun. Perhaps it was stupid, but Krayzen did not believe that here of all places, he would be able to find a Jedi, or an enemy of the One Sith.

The main reason why Krayzen had come here was b/c he had heard of rumors of something that was here. While the One Sith Army General was not one to believe in rumors, when one wanted to finally eradicate the Republic from the face of the galaxy, Krayzen would be willing to do so. As Krayzen walked at Merson, he could only hope that he was the only one that was here.

[member="Stephanie Swail"] /[member="Synth-1"]

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Standing under the might behemoth of the ships quad engines, Stephanie rubbed her fingers gloved-hands together and didn't hesitate in the ascent.

The soft ground that had been spat up from the crash and now cemented over time provided a perfect incline to climb up. From there, the solider could climb vertically up the various mechanics and metal shell of the ship which dwarfed her. A few glances up, and left and right, and then another fumble for a foot-hold and grip.

Her target was the lowest engine, and she made it in one piece.

Pulling herself up into the large circular engine port, she nodded to herself and looked back out over the hazy plains of Merson. It was a pretty planet, but the mist was crawling in and so was the humidity. Still, she felt natural Force auras of beings that probably lived around here, nothing that warranted her exclamation. Then again, she was un-trained in the real powerful ways of the Force, and she knew she would have to take the step into that world one day.

But not today.

Today she was edging down an engine port into the bowels of ship. How exciting. Not one for taking unnecessary risks, Stephanie gently took her DC15s blaster from her side and held it in her right hand. The erosion from natural weather and also those here before had made it easy to slide through the port into the ship, and into the great tomb of the ship.

With waning light and no map, Stephanie was walking into the unknown with no guide, simply looking for any clues she could.

[member="Krayzen Dratos"] | [member="Synth-1"]

 

[Synth-1]

The long dormant emergency lighting began to flicker to life as what remained of the internal sensors picked up the intruder's life signs. It was a wonder any of the systems still worked at all, and there were still large sections that would remain entirely devoid of light, but for now her path would be illuminated in the dim red glow that was commonly used to herald disaster. Given the fact that some sections obviously still had emergency power, the bridge would seem the logical place to begin her search. From there she could find a record of the ship's layout and general facilities, which may give her an idea of where to look for the important stuff. Or it could just be a lifeless bank of very expensive paperweights, what with being so close to the ship's exterior and likely taking a significant amount of damage in the initial impact.

A safer bet might be to locate the nearest operable console and attempt to find a record of the ship's layout there, but that would almost certainly leave the more interesting sections unmarked, if it showed them at all. Another option was to simply keep exploring and see where the corridors led her. She was already within the engineering section in the heart of the vessel, so anything particularly important would probably be relatively close, protected by the great mass of the rest of the ship. In truth, she was faced by a myriad of choices as to how she would proceed. All that remained was to select one and put it into action.

Far ahead of her in the inky blackness that permeated most of the halls, the emergency lighting was not the only system alerted to the presence of the intruder. Two pairs of crimson photoreceptors flared to life, set deep inside the skull-like visages of the vessel's defenders. The two droids quickly interfaced with the internal sensors to ascertain the nature of the threat, then each set off in a different direction, intent on flanking the young woman and eliminating her as they had all others that had dared to trespass.


[member="Stephanie Swail"], [member="Krayzen Dratos"]

 

[Krayzen Dratos]

The Sith General descended to the ship, Krayzen expanding his sensor range which was amplified by his highly developed sensory organs. Being an Anzat allowed Krayzen to be provided with a variety of means to counter attack a variety of enemies. While the Sith didn't believe he would fight anyone, the coup on the Dark Lord had put everyone on edge, including Krayzen. After all, when your comrades betrayed you, it was hard to trust a lot of people, and the natural response was to be cautious.

Krayzen then descended to the ship, entering it as a variety of parts lied around. As he continued to enter the crashed ship, Krayzen maintaining situation awareness, and making sure to get ready if need be.

As he descended into the ship, having entered it via another part that opened up a large hole into the ship's destroyed interior, he began to sense someone, a light-sided figure.

Perhaps I should have brought my armor he thought, thinking the confrontation might be dangerous, and his armor would have protected him.

Like Mace Windu, and Anakin before him, Krayzen decided it was better to go first check the bridge. The bridge was the central command of the ship, and he could find logs, or anything that might lead him to what the ship was carrying. After all, if a Jedi was here, the cargo in the ship might be valuable.

You will be my prey Krayzen thought, the arrogant Anzat believing that he would be victorious. Inside himself though, Krayzen was cautious, ready to fight the Jedi, as well as being cautious of any traps, and so on.

[member="Stephanie Swail"] /[member="Synth-1"]

 

[Stephanie Swail]

Stephanie didn’t stop as low lighting flickered up around and beneath her, granted that the ship was near on its side, who knew which part of the vessel she was walking on. It was sparse and somehow rather clean inside, save for a few signs of weathering and erosion from the elements and pressure from above.

Every now and then she looked over her shoulder, and up and down, wary about anyone lurking or any creatures nesting.

A few steps forward, and a few gentle turns, Stephanie came to a large hold, which she assumed was one of many with wide ivory steps leading up. She took them, one at a time, slowly, upwards.

Glancing behind her again, there was a knot in her stomach as she swore she could sense movement, something observing her. It was when she stopped and saw a darting orb float gently below where she had come from that panic took over, and she simply ran.

Not heavy footed or making noise, but a focused and enhanced run through the longest passageway she could find from the stairwell, not wanting to stop or fall back for anything. A double door ahead seemed to block her path, but it was partly open, to which she ran, slid her arm through and wedged her body in to push the doors open ajar more to get through.

It led her into a large control room, lit by the outside thanks to many viewports, all smashed out and complete with vines and trunks growing through.

Her eye sight trailed around and she connected with another figure across the way, and she didn’t want to move because there was a dangerous aura in the air, as if the figure was watching her like a predator.

”Hello. I’m here to help.”

She wasn’t, but she had to try instil a confidence in her voice, not daring to move forward in case she had to make a hasty retreat.

[member="Krayzen Dratos"] | [member="Synth-1"]

 

[Synth-1]

Upon the entrance of the second victim, another pair of luminous crimson eyes shone into the darkness of the ship's interior, and it wasn't long before the steady clang of metal on metal could be heard converging on the bridge from multiple directions. The droids approached with purpose, arms raised and weapons charged as they honed in on their prey. When the first of them reached the bridge, it clamped a metal hand around the edge of the door and ripped it violently aside, revealing a rather imposing seven foot frame, and even worse the cannons mounted to each of its arms. It waited only the span of a heartbeat as it selected targets, then re-oriented its weapons and opened fire on the nearest threat, a young blonde woman clad in the colors and symbols of a government it did not know.

Mere moments later, a second towering mechanoid burst through the bridge's other entrance, leaving the door bent and twisted out of its frame as it leveled its weapons systems at the only other being in the room. Long-dormant scanners flared to life and began analyzing the figure even as the cannons erupted in a sustained barrage of energy that was easily capable of demolishing anything short of a heavy tank, should the need arise.

If the two had been given the chance to further examine the bridge prior to the rather rude interruption and subsequent violence, they would have noticed the extensive damage the structure had sustained. Blackened holes marked the places the ship's previous intruders had stood and died, gunned down by the very units that now offered frenzied resistance to their current intrusion. In fact, most of the damage to the vessel had been sustained in the careless defense by its only remaining residents, which might lead one to conclude that whatever remained of import on this ship, it would not be found on the bridge.


[member="Stephanie Swail"], [member="Krayzen Dratos"]