OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Create a safehouse/headquarters location for the Sanctuary Systems Liberation Army
- Image Credit: Fallout 4 video game [x], edited by me
- Canon: N/A
- Links: Sanctuary Systems Liberation Army, Bakura, Salis D'aar
- Structure Name: The Rectory
- Classification: Catacombs, re-purposed as a hideout and headquarters for the Sanctuary Systems Liberation Army
- Location: The outskirts of Salis D'aar, Bakura
- Affiliation: The Sanctuary Systems Liberation Army
- Accessibility: It is not easy to locate the Rectory, and even more difficult to gain entry without prior knowledge. It exists under the ruins of an ancient Temple of the Balance in the outskirts of Salis D'aar. The ruins have long since been built over throughout the decades since the temple fell into disuse. Currently a factory stands over the ruins, itself severely damaged during the recent battle between the First Order and the Ssi-Ruuk Imperium. The safehouse is accessed through the old sewer system; the north entrance is serviced by an unobtrusive grate in a pump station behind some machinery, while the south entrance is accessible through a tunnel behind a bookcase in a nearby utility station. The entrances are surveilled and the tunnels are heavily guarded by patrols.
- Description: The main hall is a broad, vaulted cavern of ancient bricks and concrete. It is populated with a dozen stone coffins housing the remains of ancient rectors of the church that once stood above, which now serve as tables or surfaces for other uses now. It has been supplemented by makeshift computer systems, generators, medical equipment and other necessities. Its underground nature makes it slightly claustrophobic while, at the same time, offering a boon to its clandestine purpose, with the above building and the safehouse's depth beneath the ground providing a natural shield for scans.
The Command Table
At the southern end of the main hall stands a round stone altar, with the faint traces of shading where once a rudimentary symbol of the Cosmic Balance was painted. What was once a tool of religious rites now has a secret: a camouflaged holoprojector, allowing the use of the altar as a strategic command table from which to monitor operations. Because the base is so well-secured -- and reasonably small -- the command table is not shielded from view. The assumption is that anyone present is trusted well enough to be privy to its details.
The Barracks
Off the main hall is a large room featuring a row of triple bunk beds, providing sleeping space for thirty individuals. Sleeping bags and mats are available for when there are additional individuals staying. In addition to the sleeping quarters, there is a room further down a narrow corridor with portable refresher units. This Barracks area doubles as a medical bay when there are injuries that need treating.
The Mess
In the northwest corner of the main hall is a row of tables (and a stone coffin) around which meals are prepared and served. Foodstuffs, water purifiers, coolers, alcohol, and ration kids are also stored here. Everything is rationed to ensure that there is food enough to sustain those in the Rectory in the event of a food run being delayed or unsuccessful.
The Armory
In the northeast corner of the main hall is the Armory, where the Quartermaster works weapons are created, inventoried, stored, maintained, checked out, and returned. Ammunition and armor is also cataloged here, with specialized equipment being maintained and inventoried in case a mission requires it.
The Cloister
In a small room off the southwestern end of the main hall, what was once a small private chapel used for funeral services has been re-purposed into a private conference room for moments when there is information that cannot be shared with the entire staff at the Rectory. The stone pews are all that remain of the previous life of the room, with the banners and even the old wooden lectern long having decayed into dust.
General's Quarters
Off the southeastern corner of the main hall is a short corridor, separated by a pair of heavy metal double doors, behind which lay a small room which once served as a room to prepare the bodies of dead rectors for burial. It has been repurposed as a set of private quarters for the ranking officer in the Rectory. Its chief luxury is privacy, with a closing door, and a private communications terminal. On the embalming table -- a large, stone bier with channels cut into it for draining -- a mattress has been set up, masking the grisly purpose the room was built for. There is a small sitting area, with three mismatched chairs around a large wire spool serving as a table. There is also a private 'fresher, a bureau for clothing and some storage.
The Tunnels
Many years ago, the sewer systems of Salis D'aar were modernized, and the older system was sectioned off and abandoned. Now, the sewer tunnels serve as an efficient means of egress from the northern entrance/exit of the main hall; the exit comes out in a pumping station, leading directly to a disused sewer line. From there, agents of the SSLA can make their way through much of the city, exiting from distant locations, making the location difficult to track down.
SECURITY
High - Access to the Rectory is highly controlled; its very existence is a closely guarded secret. The entrances are hidden thoroughly, and there are detours and traps in the tunnels leading to the entrances to prevent those who shouldn't be there from finding their way in. Additionally, the entrances and tunnels are under continuous surveillance using audio and visual surveillance and automated proximity and motion alarms for early warning. The tunnels are guarded and patrolled, day and night, by armed guards to prevent unauthorized access.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Constructed as part of the completion of the Temple of the Balance complex in the outskirts of Salis D'aar, the catacombs comprise the subterranean ruins that was originally created to house the remains of the distinguished rectors of the temple, but it went through several iterations as the centuries progressed: catacombs to wine cellar to general storage to disused wreck to rebel hideout and field hospital. Most recently, in the aftermath of the battle of Bakura, when elements of the Bakuran Defense Force took up residence, going to ground to avoid Ssi-Ruuk Imperium death squads and patrols. It served as a field hospital and headquarters for the group as the forces coalesced under the crimson-and-gold stars of the Sanctuary Systems Liberation Army. Over the months since the headquarters was established, the group has been improving it with generators, computers, and small creature comforts to make life there, if not comfortable, then at least bearable.
