To Find a Myth: Act 1

[Mephetch Tsississ]

The privateer took a few steps back as he saw that show of power, visibly shaken and a bit scared from it. He had met a Sith only once before, who didn't show his powers much, so well, no surprise that Meph got impressed by Xzaien's attack! As the four men dropped dead, he looked around warily, blasters ready to shoot if needed. At Arial's question, he simply said "I'm pretty sssure our Sssith friend here will gladly be on the front, sssinssse ssshe'sss the one who knowsss the plassse better" he said, a slight hint of fear in his voice. True, he was a big and strong Trandoshan, but even a cold-blooded fighter and killer like him could be scared in front of the unknown powers of the place they were exploring dammit!

 

[Xzaien]

The scuffle was of course, short lived. What lay ahead had at least been untouched for a million years. The objective Xzaien and her followers were looking for.

As the gang regained their composure, with the only remaining Trooper unnaturally quickly overcoming his comrades deaths by Xzaien's hands. Xzaien turned to the Gang and began to speak. Her voice quiet and shaky. If some of the gang were at least somewhat observant, her eyes would be a blood red indicating a high level of Dark Side corruption common in Dark Side users and Jedi.

"No need Amur, No need. We are close, I can feel it- and perhaps. Dear Mephetch, do not confuse me with the Sith please."​

She turned her head toward the far side of the hexagonal room another carved stone doorway leading into the room beyond. Those not force sensitive could feel the buzzing and whispering around them dissipate into the dank dry air. It would seem that whatever malevolent ghost or supernatural construct had simply stopped its assault. However, a deep buzzing was heard. Unnatural and Mechanical in nature.

Xzaien stood straight once more and began to carefully pace her way to the stone door that lay ahead. Clearly its composition was of some kind of limestone, perhaps an exotic offshoot of a sort of black marble. On the door strangely enough written in a archaic dialect of Galactic Basic were the words:

"MAP ARMORY"​

An odd set of words, yet they were carved so perfectly that no man or alien could have done so by hand. Yet it did have this, flare about it which spoke bounds of the stone carving skill of its long since dead creators. Xzaien pushed on, coming face to face with the wall. She lay her hand upon it, moving her hand from left to right in a highly suspicious pattern, likely looking for a unlocking mechanism beyond the door. She would grasp uselessly before turning to her remaining man.

"Blast the door open my Dear."​

In a flash the remaining trooper began to search his gear fumbling this way and that. Judging by the grace he was displaying he was no where near as skilled as any of those in the room. A green recruit through and through and through. After a few minutes of useless searching he turned toward the thoroughly killed troopers laying upon the floor. Still smoking through the huge bowling ball sized holes in their sternums. He clopped over and knelt down, searching the man with clearly the most armor. He began patting him down while Xzaien looked on with this somewhat bored expression.

After a few more agonizing minutes. He found what looked to be some kind of shaped charge. He promptly jogged over and began to set it up against the direct center of the wall. Clearly the charge looked as if it would have enough clout to easily bust through the door. The Trooper turned, with a cord in hand.

"A-Alright... Find some sort of s-solid cover. This will blow the door sky high."​

Xzaien nodded at the rest of them. She was quick to move into a nearby alcove, followed by her remaining man. Once everyone was in cover, a Vocoded voice sounded out from the Alcove.

"Ready? On my Mark. Three-Two-One-MARK!"

With that, an audible click was heard as the ring the cord was attached to was yanked free. Landing on the stone floor with a quiet but audible clink. It was at least a nanosecond of silence before a huge explosion sounded off the walls. Reverberating through the cavern they had just came through. A few seconds would pass, the explosion's noise itself immediately deafening those who weren't wearing ear protection. However subsiding within a few moments. The explosion was shortly followed by rubble clattering to the floor and bouncing off the walls as shrapnel.

"Effective."​

Xzaien spoke, before exiting the little hidey hole she took cover in. She was first to the door, looking through. And what eminated from her lips was a gasp. A gasp of shock and awe.

To those that looked through the broken in door, there would be columns and columns of deactivated humanoid war droids standing. At least eight ranks deep and four men wide. Clearly, their purpose was to fight a war long ago, however now they have fallen to disrepair and neglect. Even at this distance they all appeared to be well designed and advanced... but at the middle of it all, lay the prize they had come here for.

The Star Map​

@Caught in Strangereal

 

[Amur]

For someone that Amur gauged as being quite prone to anger and and potentially being insecure about their height Xzaien refused to budge. It was quite boring really, Amur wanted someone to mess around and get under the skin in the most aggravating away imaginable after all she discovered that there is no joy quitle like remaining calm while someone talking to you gets more and more riled up. Still it is what it is. They moved forward deeper into the Caverns. Amur was now curious about the history of this place. It was clear it was used in rituals that at some point a entity of the dark side corrupted and seeped into its foundation. Also that a war base was established. A part of her wanted to begin an archaeological dig and excavation. Though after the events of today she decided against mainly because the labor turn over would be unsustainable.

She made note to everything pondering informing the Empire of this place though she had a feeling Xzaien wasn't one to share and wouldn't take it well. The promise and potential of loot and greater discovery far outweighed the urge to snitch. What Amur struggled with more was the actions of the rather inept soldier trying to claw his explosives together. The Sith now entertaining making the guy perform decimation on himself when they were done. He was lucky that Amur wasn't his commanding officer. This was supposed to be part of a trusted crack team of commandos that Xzaien trusted with her life? They failed to impress her in the slightest.

Still one destroyed door later they gazed upon the goal at the end of this devious cursed ruin. The map stood before all and while a sense of curiosity asked her to interact with the map she knew better. This was just too easy especially when an army of seemingly deactivated droids just stood there... waiting... and maybe their purpose was to defend this map especially if the location was sacred our of utmost strategic importance.

"Xzaien I suggest you do the honors, It is your dig after all." The sith invited the Cathar to do. Truth be told she was gathering the force and getting ready to cast disable droid. Everything about this just screamed trap.

@Algarus @samdragon @Xanthum the Mighty

 

[Mephetch Tsississ]

The Trandoshan took a deep sigh as the fight subsided and they advanced, approaching another door, which surprisingly had writings that he could read! Meph was still on edge to be honest, eyes scanning around for any enemies that could be hiding. As the man looked for an irruption charge, he quickly ran behind a column in cover and waited. He covered his ears as the boy pulled the cord, and braced himself for the explosion which came right after. He waited for the debris shower to pass by, and then peeked out from behind the column and walked towards the hole, looking in awe at the room's contents. "Wow... Look at thisss..." he muttered

 

[Xzaien]

"The Starmap"​

Now that Xzaien and her motley little crew had secured the Starmap to Iokath, the second step of interpreting the data must have been had. Xzaien moved toward the Starmap, alongside her last remaining soldier. While Xzaien came closer to behold the machine, the remaining soldier was seen typing something into his wrist device before he also watched the machine. Xzaien stared at it clearly in awe as she beheld the ancient artifact. Even from this distance, Amur, Mephetch, and the rest could see that it was of some Dark-Side forged metal. Perhaps like the Rakata of old yet adapted for far less sinister purposes. Meanwhile, Xzaien smiled at it, raising her arm and projecting a tether of the Force into the machine searching for some mechanism that would reveal its secrets.

For it was quick that the machine opened, spreading its batlike wings. It was projecting a sort of hologram in its center. Similar to the Sith Starmaps on old Korriban. The hologram itself was blood orange and seemed to hum with forbidden energy. Until suddenly, two prongs extended from it. Faster than they could both react, both Xzaien and her last remaining trooper were hefted into the air and slowly began to orbit the Starmap. As orange clouds of energy puffed and sputtered from the machine, Xzaien was carrying this concerned expression of both awe and fear with her side compatriot's face concealed by his helmet.

"The Energy"​

All of a sudden, a strong electric field could be felt by all the room. With Amur's hairs, even under her helmet standing up on end, drawn toward the device in the middle of the room. Mephetch would likewise feel a staticky sensation reverberate through his armored hide. Attempting to pierce it but to no avail. Furthermore, the machine hummed even louder, before all of sudden sparking and sending two bright red blasts of defined electricity toward Xzaien and her Trooper and coating them in this web of power. At first, the white armored trooper would begin screaming in agony as he grasped at his helmet, trying in vain to pull it off. Xzaien also started screaming. But not in pain, but laughter and rage. They would begin to spin far faster now orbiting the machine at a farcically high rate. The electric web was making sickening sounds of electricity against flesh while the smells, sights, and sounds of burning fat filled the room. If anyone even walked even slightly out of cover. They could see the surviving soldier be mummified alive in the air — his armor breaking, and contorting. His helmet flying off and landing somewhere in the crowd of war droids, and his arms and legs getting skinnier and less defined. His face contorted in this agonizing scream that could make even the most brutal Sith Lord cringe. After a while, his face would disintegrate, leaving nothing but a bleached white skeleton festooned in a suit of yellowed plastoid armor after the man was deemed no longer necessary. The machine sputtered and coughed, dropping the mummified victim on the ground — his bones clattering against the stone floor. With his skull turned slightly toward the door, they came in; empty eye sockets transfixed on the exit. The poor man was no more. But as for Xzaien, purple energy surrounded her body similarly to electrons in an atom, piercing through her. She was no longer mentally present as her eyes glowed with a magnificent royal purple color — her mouth agape. The machine finally seemed to give up the ghost as it suddenly shut down in a splendid shock wave of purple energy with the energy knocking dust and loose sand and soil from the walls.

Xzaien was dropped on the ground. Her body impacting with a loud whump against the stone floor. Her body completely limp, and her eyes opened wide at an unseen figure. If anyone bothered to come and investigate, her face would be drawn up in this permanent sneer, one of awe and euphoria. But... an odd sight would behold themselves. Her fur pattern, completely different. A series of runes decorated in the profile pattern with the veins in her neck pulsating in this red glow. Her eyes, blood red with a black schlera. It would seem she was breathing, albeit shallowly. Completely unmoving and unresponsive. Whatever was going on was something for speculative purposes. Was it possession? Was it brain-death? It would be up for Xzaien's Scientists to figure out in the coming days.

"The Medical Officer"​

As for the Trooper. Whose bones lay to Xzaien's flank contorted into this dead scream of terror. He was killed, there was no debating the state that he was in at this point. All that would touch the people's mind was that he was innocent, and died for a moot reason. However, mourning for the troopers killed would have been partaken by their compatriots — not the crew of Mercenaries themselves. The Mercenaries would have a moment of respite to think about what has happened. Was this a fool's errand? A ruse to get others killed in the pursuit of a myth? Of course, there were many questions about what had occurred. However, any thinking was cut short by a Medical Officer from Xzaien's encampment entering through the blown door. He caught sight was the Mercenaries first, nodding with approval before turning his head. His eyes making contact with Xzaien's limp body, his face turned into shock as he noticed; he then shouted back to the men, presumably following behind him.

"Get a Medical Capsule immediately!" ​

He ran toward Xzaien's body. He was sliding to a halt nearby her. He was seen gripping her hand and speaking at her blanked out face.

"We've come too far to lose you. Hang on; Help is coming."​

Soon, a whole column of Troopers marched in, alongside a Medical Capsule. The Medical Officer nearby Xzaien, in conjunction with another white armored Trooper, hefted her body up and toward the sky. With them placing her body into the Medical Capsule and hooking her up. The glass opening they set her in was then promptly sealed and went opaque so that none could see inside.

Then, a group of Troopers attended to the Desiccated corpse of the last surviving trooper, with one of them placing a white cloth over it and muttering something to himself. The rest of the Troopers looked on as Xzaien was carried out of the room inside of the medical capsule. With her, the Officer and the Capsule disappearing through the way they came in. Who filed through next would clearly be recognized by Amur why it was the first four of the Original Bodyguards that accompanied them on the raid on the Science Facility all those weeks ago.

Standing at their head, an Imperial Officer still dressed in his formal uniform whose blond hair and aged features peering through a peaked cap. His right arm in a sling.

To his right, stood another Cathar. Black Furred in this case and female. Clad in spacer leathers and carrying dual blaster pistols.

To his left, Stood the Mandalorian Crusader with him resting his blaster cannon on the ground.

Taking up the rear was the perky Bothan female who was also clad in a leather jacket similar to the Black Furred Cathar's. She had goggles laced upon her forehead and a heavy blaster pistol in a holster.

To each of them, they all had this solemn facial expression. But the Officer marched forward with conviction. In his hands, the credit payment for each of them. He opened his mouth and addressed the Mercenaries.

"You're free to go lads. We'll clean up here and contact you for further details on how this will go. Happy hunting and best of luck in your future endeavors."
​

He'd hand each man and woman their payment for this Operation. Offering a handshake to each of them in return alongside a nod.

After that, the Mercs were all free to leave. To travel to their ships and continue their battles amongst the turbulent galaxy.

/endthread