Dark Secrets (Closed, Structured RP / Short Story Finale)

Nex stood up slowly, bleeding and furious. How this “corpse” could overtake him so easily troubled him greatly. He considered himself a warrior and this last scrap struck his pride deeper than any blade possibly could. All the energy and focus that Nex used to keep the “thing” off of him was now used to keep himself together. His wounds would heal but that didn’t make them any less painful.

Nex watched as the now permanently dead abomination sat lifeless at the feet of the Umbaran. Reaching out his arm towards the ground his lightsaber flew back to his palm. His eyes remained focused on the body as he connected it to his belt. The pain of his wounds seemed to melt away as his anger grew.

The jedi at the temple taught him that anger was an emotion that would lead him to the “dark” side, but he welcomed the feelings with open arms as they slowly ate away at him. No doubt everyone was busy trying to understand what these things were and what exactly just happened but Nex wasn’t concerned about that. They were dead, problem solved.

Finally fed up with looking at the body, Nex walked up and grabed it by the throat and lifted it into the air completely ignoring the Umbaran. Disgusting, he thought as his grip tightened and made his way towards the corridor they first came through. He stopped at the doorway and released his hold, levitating it with the force. Nex’s hands dropped to his sides then in a few quick motions he activated his lightsaber severing its arms and head. Connecting his weapon back onto his belt he gave the corpse one last lookover. With a low growl, Nex moved his hand forward sending it into the corridor past Forge. Focusing his energy one more time the body combusted sending the remains all over the walls, floor, and ceiling.

Nex moved up against the wall now concentrating on the newly met Umbaran. He was in no mood for idle conversation and decided to let Creed and Lilin do the talking for now.

"Easy big fella" Creed's words of comfort to Nex were lost in a void of rage. He'd never seen his friend this upset before, something was clearly wrong and he could tell that the ex-Jedi sensed that all was not well. Creed too had some questions that needed answering....
"Would someone like to tell me what in fraks name they were?"
Turning his attention to the Umbarran he noticed that she seemed less than shocked about their recent encounter.
"Thanks for your help stranger, the names Creed and this here is Nex, Forge and .... Cherry?" The redheads name had either escaped him or she was being reluctant to tell him any details.

He lent down on one knee and using his vibro-shivs he started inspecting the mangled corpse at his feet.
"Forge, I need you to do an analysis of this body. I wanna know what we're up against before we continue. I don't like surprises".

Blessed with the ability to feel no fear, Forge trotted over to Creed following his instruction, and looked down at the remains of the human corpse that had been shot through the cranium.

"Of course, Sir" It said as it leaned over the body and started producing several small bits of surgical apparatus and other, more non-descript items from various compartments about itself. "I will run a full spectrum analysis but it will take some time. Might I suggest you and the other organics look into defending yourselves while I undertake this task? I would suspect it will take between seven and fourteen standard moments to complete."

As the Droid went about its business and the group managed to take a breath at last, the Force-Users among them were able to notice, with quietened minds, that the nausea they felt from such overwhelming Dark Side energies had subsided somewhat. It was still there, still painfully apparent, but it was as if a wound in the Force had begun to heal with the destruction of the three abominations.

A few seconds into its investigation Forge suddenly shot out its hand in which was clenched some sort of I.D. "You might find this of use, Masters." It said, not turning round nor slowing its investigation.

Ril watched as the Talortai lift the corpse of the ground with one arm and take it to the corridor severing its limbs,”not so much a Jedi after all...” she pondered.

"Thanks for your help stranger, the names Creed and this here is Nex, Forge and .... Cherry?"

“You can call me Es'pel for now”, she replied matter of factly moving over to him “I'm not sure what your doing here but I estimate your presence is wanted as much as my own” she stoop down next to Creed as he was examining the corpse making sure not catch any part of her coat on the rotting flesh of the liquid that now seeped from it.
It was still a horror to behold just now a less mobile one, she turned to Creed and smiled “I think its nanotechnology” she said enthusiastically pulling a knife from some compartment on her suit, she looked down at it ready to take a sample and then recoiled.
“I wouldn't touch them if you can avoid it” she said to the group trying to avoid looking at the bird who had had one all over his open wounds, “If it's what I think it is, you might end up like them nanites can spread from person to person” she sheathed her knife looked around and moved over to the kitchen and began searching, she returned with a airtight food container and a pronged cooking instrument, she bent down again and stabbed the instrument into the hole left by the baster bolt and rummaged around.
I emerged triumphantly with piece of uncharred brain matter which she plopped into the food container and sealed, throwing the knife across the floor she turned back to the group, “Pay Dirt”.

Poking her head round the door opening to check for any more levitating torsos she called out lightly "Am I safe to come out? Or should I keep the doorway clear for any more Jedi tantrums?" This last was said with a note of disapproval.
     Frowning darkly Lilin brusquely began walking towards the group "And as for you, it's not 'Cherry'!" Her angry advance was thwarted as she slipped on the sheen of gore covering the room's floor. A scintillating wobble and a flailing of arms (and blaster) kept her remaining upright and after a brief toss of adjustment for her hair, she resumed her walk in a slower and more composed manner. As she passed the droid she adroitly plucked the I.D. from it's fingers.
     Coming to a stop she looked at the Bird-man and calmly informed him "And that wasn't a tantrum"
     She turned a beaming smile upon the strangely garbed newcomer "Don't mind them Es'pel," she began "In fact I'm surprised this one," she pointed at Creed with the I.D. "Even thought to thank you for your help with these things – thanks by the way. I mean he all but kidnapped me, held me under gunpoint, brought me to the *rse end of the galaxy, dragged me with no 'by your leave' into this hell hole putting my life in danger and abandoning me in the middle of a gun fight to fend for myself - where I was bloody amazing, killing one of those things aaand saving the droid in the process..." She paused not for breath but to level at Creed an icy stare "You're welcome, by the way. And noooobody has even bothered to ask me my name!" Smile back in place Lilin returned her attention to Es'pel "I'm Dee, pleased to meet you"
     Lilin had been gesticulating throughout her tirade, punctuating each point with the I.D. card. She held out her hand to shake the other woman's but found she was holding something with it. "What's this?"

"That," The Droid continued without turning around and still prodding and examining the corpse, "Is an identi-card, Mistress Dee."

It stopped then as if finished, and stood as it turned to face the group.
"My analysis is complete and the microscopic biological traces inprinted into the technology of that card match that of the.....deceased gentleman behind me. Going by the details referenced on that card," It said, gesturing toward the slowing, but still slightly flaying card attached to Lilin's arm "..he was Ryben Athan, senior researcher assigned to team designation alpha-7 of the RafaIII mining operation, working for The Terisian Corporation: mining and exploration division."

Waiting for Lilin's movement to slow and until it had the attention of everyone, the Droid continued:

"I may be able to find out more about this Human's identity and of the corporation in question if I were able to contact the Zenith and patch into the main hyperspace relay. However, the storms currently surrounding this hemisphere of the planet are making communication impossible at present. If we could locate a comms station here in the facility I may be able to amplify the signal and reach the ship."

Forge turned around to face the corpse again then, inviting the others to follow suit.

"However, there is something troubling about my analysis. My databank records indicate that all forms of organic life begin to decompose once they....expire. This breakdown of cellular structure varies from species to species but shares a common trait of being comparitively fast and - for organic life - rather efficient."

When it got a mix of confused and disinterested looks from everyone in the room it attempted to elaborate.

"Human cell degredation occurs at a varied rate but if exposed to the microorganisms present in the majority of oxygen-rich enviroments, it takes approximately eight to thirteen months for body of this size to fully decompose. Appearance and external level of decay would indicate that Mr Athan ceased functioning between six to seven hours ago. However, a closer carbon analysis of the skin tissue confirms that the body ceased functioning 12.4 Galactic Standard years ago. For whatever reason this cadaver has been artifically sustained. It would not surprise me if..."

The body - and that of the other human (and wookie, though out of sight) - suddenly began to make an odd hissing noise and looked almost as if it were deflating, causing Forge to halt his explanation. As the assembled people watched the skin began to shrivel, tighten and almost liquify as is sagged and slipped off the bones of the corpse which, in turn went from a yellowish-white to grey and eventually brown-gray before beginning to crack and crumble away to dust. Within a matter of seconds the corpse was reduced to a puddle of congealed goo and traces of ash, as if the entire decomposition process had caught up with it all at once.

Forge merely tilted it head at the spectacle.

"Facinating..."

“Here you go”
Ril smiled at the Twe'lik opposite her and took the data-pad she offered, it was always best to understand the emotions of the client, in this case her informant.... a young female Twe'lik pestered at work by a boss who didn't understand no, what she needed was a bit of understanding from another woman and Ril was happy to oblige and offer her a form of mutually beneficial payback. That's why she'd met here in a café in person, a face to face was very unusual amongst informants but Ril doubted she could ever get such a loyal informant so high up within the Corporation so quickly and easily any other way, and this assignment wasn't that dangerous anyway.
“This is from his closed system, his personal data feed?” Ril scrolled down the data stream transfixed.
“Yes don't worry I understood your instructions”, she smiled and took a drink from a sweet hot beverage, “I included all the transactions for the official company records as well she added, might be useful for tracking any... irregularities”, Ril genuinely smiled for the first time in their conversation, the Twe'lik was brighter then she let on.
“Thanks, that'll be very useful”, Ril took out a blank data chip and transferred the appropriate funds over to it, “I added a little extra for you” she said handing over the chip.
The Twe'lik smiled as she looked over the generous payment, …...good everyone's happy.....

Your to investigate The Terisian Corporation,
….anything specific or the whole fracking company......
If you don't want it Es'pel you don't have to take it.
….....
Good, its an off shoot of some other larger company, apparently its been developing some new type of weapon or so our employer believes, they want some kind of proof that they are and where they're doing it.
...how deep?
Not too deep we only need confirmation, its costing them enough for us to sweep the entire Corporation …....no dramatics Es'pel we don't need the job finishing before we even get paid.
…...so what are my specifics?
You'll be investigating the Mining and Exploration division, looki for irregularities in cash flow in or out and follow them up, they'll defiantly be up to something illegal just make sure its what we need, I'll send you the fine details through the normal way, enjoy........\
…....brilliant.....\

“Brilliant” Ril mumbled as the flesh inside the container began to dissolve just like the corpse that lay at her feet.

“Well,” Nex said as he pulled himself together and set his mind at ease once more. “can we get going? This place is beginning to bore me.”

“This Twi’lek better be worth it Creed.” Nex said as his injuries continued to heal. “If I had my way I would bury this whole installation…..and if I begin to have another tantrum,” he said in an unenthusiastic tone while turning to Lilin “I’ll be sure to let you know.”

Pushing himself off of the wall he was resting on, Nex walked next to Forge and turned to Es’pel, “My species has a natural talent of recovering from our wounds, and my implants are designed to amplify that ability. So I wouldn’t spend time worrying about my health, but on the slight chance that I become one of them, feel free to destroy me.” Nex said with a laugh. “If you think you are able to.”

“Now anyone possess a plan that does not involve us sitting here and waiting for something to happen?”

As Nex Deus spoke, the droid Forge made its way over to an access panel on a nearby wall and began to unhinge a powered-down security shield, before twisting the end of his right index finger to reveal a data-spike.

Without waiting for further instruction it inserted the data-spike into an exposed data conduit and turned in clockwise ninety degrees. For a moment it was silent as the group spoke among themselves, gathering their thoughts over the sudden encounter, performing a head-count and formally greeting the new arrival, 'Es'pel'.

Then:

"Masters and Mistresses, if I may interject?" The droid did not turn around as it spoke, obviously engrossed in some heavy multitasking.
"I have managed to gain limited access to the facilities mainframe through this panel. I am currently accessing and attempting to recreate several damaged data logs but I found something that may be of interest to you."

In the unnaturally synthetic way only a droid can muster, Forge's free up suddenly shot out and pointed to the open door the three assailants had entered the room from.

"According to the base schematics the majority of this level is accomidation and administration offices, nothing truly of note. However, through that corridor is a security elevator which leads down into the mining complex level. Though heavily guarded with many automatic security measures, they are all currently offline and pose no threat."

Releasing the spike from the wall and rescrewing its finger back on Forge turned to face them.

"Lastly and possibly most consequential is that I was able to run a brief geothermal analysis using the mainframe. Though the records are damaged there is enough data to suggest that a third area exists beneath the base and it seems cavernous in nature. I read one active bio-signature down there as well as a massive energy source, one more than powerful enough for us to boost a signal to the Zenith."

The droid seemed to hesitate on the last part, most likely due to lack of solid information.

"However I would advise caution. The energy source was shielded from regular sensors. It was only through investigating an annomoly in the maintaince records that I was able to become aware of it and bypass the shielding. Perhaps there is a way to access the mainframe on the level below and gather more solid information."

“So we've got artificially animated corpses, a possible biohazard and a section of this base purposely hidden from all sensors. A section containing a 'massive energy source' which could be used to reactivate the 'many automatic security measures' at any given time?” Lilin looked from the droid to Creed. “Just let me know when it's okay to start freaking out”

Hefting her shoulder bag to a more comfortable position Lilin shifted on the spot where her boots made a loud squelching sound. Lifting one boot off the ground she couldn't keep the disgust from her face as with it came long gluey lengths of congealed... remains?

“Well before we all become stuck to the spot I think it's best to get away from this mess – back to the ship” She levelled a steady gaze at Creed.

Ril sat in the company assigned ship floating through space, happy to off world at last, she was cycling through the data her informant had passed onto her, categorising it into separate sections, many of them had no discrepancies in funds, a few did mostly only attributing to a low-level skimming of money off the surface of some vast profits the company was making and some of course were interesting.
Numerous large amounts of credits seemed to distributed to places that weren't recorded in the standard accounts it was as if they were employing twice the number of people they had registered in certain areas, plus large amounts being paid to companies operating in materials not associated with their businesses.
This was too be expected, companies this large always have something going on away from public eye or the eyes of their investors, illegal haulage or part manufacture, drugs, black-op crews set up for industrial espionage (when they of course should be hiring her), and of course weapons development. Most of them seemed small time things and most obviously not that well hidden, weapons and other illicit products wouldn't be this obvious ….”well not if you were incompetent”, she thought.
Then something caught her attention Rafa III, vast amounts of money had been spent on this site 12 years ago, enough to build a outpost there at least, it had officially been abandoned the same year with no apparent reason, it was remote and apparently worthless yet they had been interested enough to spend the resources on it.

Ril smiled she had a good feeling about this one, she entered the co-ordinates for the system and began the count down, she could check the others later this one certainly had something suspicious about it and she was not the type to let things like this go unexplored.....

___________________________________________________


“So we've got artificially animated corpses, a possible biohazard and a section of this base purposely hidden from all sensors. A section containing a 'massive energy source' which could be used to reactivate the 'many automatic security measures' at any given time?” “Just let me know when it's okay to start freaking out”

Ril realised that the woman was right, ...still..., there was draw in all this.....she felt compelled to follow delving into the unknown with all its surprises and dangers, even with this unknown rabble, anyway once whatever inhabited realised they'd been discovered they might leave or destroy any evidence that remained.

“I want some live samples”, Ril said aloud not sure who to address, “I'm willing to offer my help as long as you reciprocate,.....that is if you plan on staying?”

'This day keeps on getting better and better' Creed thought as he freed his foot from the sticky remains of his former adversaries. He had to hand it to this 'Dee', she had every right to be concerned about what may lay ahead for thier descent into lower parts of the mining colony, but this wasn't the way Creed rolled . The agent inside him needed to know more of this mysterious facility and why Ree would end up here in the first place.

"Darl, I don't like it anymore than you do but I came to find Ree and thats what I'm a gonna do." His words of comfort toward Dee were brash at best. "The way I see it we got a job to do and if I remember rightly, no one invited you aboard our ship in the first place. Face it honey, you're in for the long haul".

He turned back to Nex who seemed eager to continue with the mission.
"So what d'ya say to checking out what the rest of this joint has to offer big fella?"

Following the directions given by Forge, the group arrived at the service elevator (some more willingly that others) and checked over their weapons or otherwise steeled themselves as the lift began its descent into the bowels of the planet.
As the lift lowered the walls suddenly lost their solidity and became transparent, as if made of glass. A gentle prod from various members of the team discovered it to be still in place however, despite the appearance that the walls had vanished.

To begin the view was woefully uninteresting as they had nothing to stare at but the gray metal of the elevator shaft, but soon they found themselves approaching the mining complex level and Forge - a data-spike again implanted into the wall, operating the lift manually - piped up cheerfully:

"Ah, here we are. I will just bring the elevator to a stop so we can get out on this floor to investigate -"

The Droid turned the spike one way and then the other, over and over then tilted its head to one side in confusion.

"That's odd," It began. "I seem unable to manually bring the elevator to a stop on this level. Apologies, but it appears we are continuing to the lower, cavernous level."

The group looked at one another in concern, though expecting the unexpected was fast becoming the norm since entering the Rafa system.
Within moments the gray walls of the mining complex were replaced with a smoother, almost crystalline surface which looked as if it had been artificially constructed, as it was too perfect and symmetrical in nature to be a natural formation. An odd alien dialect could be seen here and there, presumably signs or messages of some kind, but by far the most noticeable addition was a symbol, replicated every foot or so into the shaft and appearing on the walls with regularity:


The symbol seemed familiar to many of the onlookers, but it was Forge who clarified their suspicions.

"Fascinating. That symbol matches the one found on the ship that was following The Zenith through hyperspace." Though the others saw the obvious danger in such a connection, lacking any real survival instinct the warning was utterly lost on Forge.
"It also matches a design found in Miss Ree's holo-recording. It is logical to assume they are from the same source."

Then as they continued their descent the shaft opened into a vast subterranean cavern which stretched out into the darkness. At least a couple of hundred feet deep, as far as the eye could see there were rows upon rows of balconies housing hundreds of thousands of what appeared to be Bacta Tanks, but as the lift drew closer to the ground floor the group were able to get a closer look and discovered them to be Stasis Chambers instead. All filled, they stretched in all directions and were housing thousands upon thousands of cryrogenically stored humanoids of every given species.


As the elevator came to a gentle stop and the doors opened with a quiet hiss, the group stepped out into the massive cavern, taking in the rather epic sight. To their left and right were steps leading up to the first floor of the many walkways that housed the pods, and directly ahead of them was a walkway that led to a bulbous command module housing three stasis pods, which overlooked a deep drop that vanished so far into the planet that no bottom could be seen, although pods continued to line the walls all the way down. Two of the three pods on the command module were empty and open, showing no signs of ever being used yet the third, central pod had fallen over and was smashed, bits of what looked like glass lying shattered around it.
A large computer terminal stood at the far side of the module and Forge made its way toward it.

"With the Master's permission I will attempt to access this terminal and see if I can connect to the mainframe. I may be able to ascertain the situation here, and possibly decipher this alien dialect. The process may take some time however and it is likely I will be out of commission for the duration. Do I have permission to proceed?"

All three of the pods had the same unknown dialect on small plaques under the front observation screen which, one would suspect would denote a name or other form of designation on the subject.
The broken pod similarly had a name-plate, but underneath the alien writing something was etched into the metal itself, written in Galactic Basic.

It read one word:

'Scion.'

The trip down the elevator shaft had unnerved her, but Lilin wasn't prepared for the sight they met upon reaching the cavern. Whatever was going on here was on a scale she suspected none of them had imagined. As the group stepped out of the elevator she swallowed hard and fought to ignore the oppressive weight pressing on the back of her mind and the coldness in the pit of her stomach. This day was getting worse by the minute.

Eventually they reached what appeared, judging from the size and complexity of its housing, the main computer terminal. She looked at the status pods in silence trying not to guess at what the destroyed third module had contained – and may now be lurking somewhere in the shadows. Watching...

Lilin jumped at the loud mechanical voice breaking the silence and frowned indignantly at Forge as he spoke “With the Master's permission I will attempt to access this terminal and see if I can connect to the mainframe. I may be able to ascertain the situation here, and possibly decipher this alien dialect. The process may take some time however and it is likely I will be out of commission for the duration. Do I have permission to proceed?”

Before he could respond to the droid, Lilin placed a light hand on Creed's arm. “Is that a good idea? I know he didn't pick up those... things... upstairs, but I'd feel better with those life-form sensors of his engaged” And looking from him to the bird-man asked “Don't either of you space pirates know how to, you know..?” She wiggled her fingers in a typing mime. Even though she wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, Lilin preferred they remained alive long enough to make that possible.

Nex exited the elevator keeping a serious look on his face, hiding the looks of wonder hidden just underneath. With a slight chill running down his back, Nex walked over to one of the tanks where, he assumed, a humanoid once rested. With a few knocks on the metal base with his foot, Nex turned to see Lilin who, as always, seemed to be more concerned and cautious than the rest of the group.

Walking over and kneeling down to the broken tank Nex answered Lilin. “Well seeing as how tin man over there is better equipped and knowledgeable when it comes to hacking terminals, I would suggest that he do it. And besides, I am more a warrior than a master technician, I prefer a straight fight not a digital battle.”

Nex picked up a piece of glass and then threw it down the edge a second later and continued to talk. “Unless you want him guarding your back while one of us tries to access the information?” Motioning towards Forge as he walked over to look at the console.

Nex then turned his head to Creed. “I do believe that space pirates, also enjoy fighting for their more valuable loot…..if I’m not mistaken.”

Nex walked to an open area and sat with his legs crossed as if he was meditating. Taking his lightsaber and setting it in front of him he spoke out loud. “Once again I say let forge do his job and let us take care of the rest.” Nex began to drop into a trance to improve his alertness of the surrounding area. “Or just leave me to deal with it if you feel like leaving the party early.” Nex commented towards Lilin with a smirk before completely dropping into his meditative state.

Ril was in the lift before she had even fully considered what she was doing the thought of tech this valuable was something she couldn't resist, still felt a sense of dread as they descended, it grew to a fever pitch the closer they got... her instincts screaming at her that she had been stupid and this place was not a good place to be, she felt like a caged animal ready to claw through the bars to get to freedom.
The lift halted and the doors opened she half expected for a number of grey moist hands to slide through the opening and haul them out but nothing....... only a vast cavern with an eerie blue light filtering through.
Emerging it sank in were and how the light was being generated, she stood in awe of the thousands of tanks that surrounded her, the group started discussing something about accessing the main frame and the impressive looking Force user brushed past her to talk to the distinctly out of place looking female.
A nagging feeling began to eat away at her, something was wrong there were far too many people here to be part of an experiment, this look more like an army, something like this would take more resources then The Terisian Corporation had invested to pull this off and they would have hidden it a lot better than this. She moved to the nearest container is was attached firmly to the wall Ril cursed, for a second she thought she might be able to pull this off, sighing she took a look at the occupant a human female floated in the blue liquid dead eyes staring back at her.

A cold sensation filled her, shame and dread intermingled ….she didn't know what was going on at all and she'd blindly come down here in search of what..... some poor person who'd be turned into a mindless husk to profit off it.....
“We should be leaving now”, she said shaking her head and moving to the droid ”if those things that came to greet us are just like these how do we know these aren't conscious as well”
“We should find your friend and get out ….now”

((Creed on SCS until Sureshot's return))

Creed ran his hand through his long purple hair as he listened to the others express their concerns and fears. He had to admit he shared more than a few of them himself, but he'd come this far to find Ree'tak and he needed to make sure she was ok.

"Nex is right," he said to 'Red' as resassuringly as he could. "Forge can get the data ten-times quicker than any organic, and I'd rather we were all armed and ready, should something happen." With a nod to the droid he concluded on "The console's all yours, Forge. See what you can find out. I want an I.D. on that bio-sign too, if you can localize it."

The Droid wandered passed Creed having received instructions and began to intigrate itself with the command console.

Turning to Ril, Creed nodded at her comment, obviously sharing her opinion.
"Agreed. This place doesn't sit well with me at all. The sooner we find Ree, get the uplink to The Zenith established and get the hell off this rock, the better."

Walking up to the railing, he looked over the edge at the thousands of pods that fell away into the darkness, then brought his head back up and look toward the distant ceiling. He couldn't even begin to count how many there were.

"I can't understand how this many people could be kept here," He began, shaking his head. "or why for that matter. Why would anyone need this many of anything at all, let alone cadavers? The resources that would be needed to accomplish such a task would be huge, as well as shielding it from detection like this. I can see only two real reasons, and neither of them are good. Either someone is harvesting the bodies for some sort of resource or...." Shaking his head again, almost in disbelief:
"Some damn fool is trying to raise an army."

As Ril was looking up at the of the human woman floating lifelessly in the bluish liquid of the pod, she fancied she saw her eyes twitch slightly, and was about to dismiss it entirely when a sudden and powerful thump! from her right made her almost leap back in shock.
The pod directly next to the human woman had the form of another, this time a male, suddenly animate and start thrashing about in the liquid. Several tubes were stuck into his body at various points, a clearish-gray liquid pumping from the pod into his veins as he slammed against the glass in a frightful panic. His eyes were full of fear and confusion, and he screamed a gargled noise, muffled by the liquid. As his fists slammed heavily against the glass tiny fractures began to appear, which became cracks that worked themselves along the surface of the pod.

Instinctively drawing his pistol and moving in for a clear shot, Creed called out to make sure this man had the full attention of the entire group.

"We've got a live one, people!"

"Correction." Interjected Forge without turning around or stopping its work. "I am detecting no bio-signs off the human in question."

Turning to face Forge but keeping his gun trained on the human, he exclaimed:

"You've got to be kidding me, Forge!"

Ril hit the railing behind her as she jumped back her stealth suit clanging it loudly and sending a echoing reverberation through the cavernous environment, her instinctive reaction was that the sound would wake the others like in some dammed horror movie off the Holonet...and why not everything else she had seen today had been equally horrific.

The sound slowly echoed around the cavern making her heart pound like it was pumping something thicker than blood, as the echo started to fade it slowed but not much with the sight of the man in front of her being invaded ...saturated by the sickeningly grey liquid it.
She started taking steps back towards the group, “Droid, can you kindly see which of the sensor systems were tripping and turn them off please or its likely these things will continue to wake up” she poke softly over her shoulder.

She finally managed to make it abck to the group, the few steps she'd taken had seemed like an eternity with her gaze locked on the thrashing visage in the tube, pulling out her blaster and bringing it to aim squarely on the man's head, “Are we going to let him break out?” she asked Creed slowly regaining her composure, “Because I'd certainly like to shoot it before it gets the chance to start tearing chunks out of me!”.

She waited for a response and she felt the others readying themselves behind her, a thought struck her, these people were probably uninfected until this liquid was pumped into their bodies which meant........ there was the potential to rescue all these people.......she considered the thought of staying here for one second longer then she needed to be and forced the thought out of her mind.

As Ril aimed her blaster up in line with Creed's, the Corellian seemed to ease off a little eventually lowering his gun and re-holstering it. Whether because he felt the gun was unneccesary of because Ril has picked up the slack was unclear, but he walked toward the tank and the thrashing man inside.

"There's something...different about this one," He said, cocking his head to one side and looking at it curiously as it thrashed about and slammed against the glass.
"It looks....well I'd say it looks scared." Creed continued. "The ones we've met before have only shown anger. This one seems to be acting out of desperation."
Running his hand along his chin in thought, he turned back to the Droid.

"Is there anything we can do for him?" He asked in such a plain manner it seemed almost detatched.

"Of course," Forge replied with equal indifference. Without turning around he pressed a few buttons on the console and sparks of what looked like electricity passed through the wires inside the tube, illuminating the flouid and causing the human inside to convulse violently before suddenly stopping. A few more quick button presses from Forge and the pod-bound Human hung limply in liquid suspension.

"What did you do, kill him?" Creed said as he stepped up to the pod and knocked gently with his knuckle on the glass.

"Negative." Forge replied, finally stopping his typing and turning around. "There were no signs of life, so could not kill him. Simply rendered the humanoid innert for the time being. A temporary measure, but an effective one."

Giving one more look at the now 'inert' man in the pod to ensure himself it was safe to not keep both eyes on it at all times, Creed turned away from it and rejoined the group.

"So, did you find anything during your little.....er......'interface'?" The Special Agent said with a wink.

The Droid nodded.

"I have uncovered extensive files about this facility," It began and then turned toward Ril. "I would like to start by saying that Miss Es'pel has nothing to concern herself with, the sensors in this area were deactivated when we arrived and I have ensured they stay that way."

When the Umbaran gave a quick nod in acknowledgement to the Droid's comment but refused to drop her aim on the - still slightly twitching - person in the tank, the Droid decided it was best to continue.

"The data is fragmented and in many places corrupted but I have achieved a reconstruction with 92% accruacy. The console links directly into the system main-frame and there are three high-yeild digital locks encrypting information, all of which I bypassed of course." If the Droid had been a sentient the last comment could have been considered smug but due to his lack of such independant thought it was considered matter-of-fact.

"The oldest data-block is in excess of twenty-five thousand years. The methods of storage pre-date holographic technologies, but it appears to have been transferred onto such in the last two-hundred years or so. The information is written in a language of unknown origin, with a complex syntax that does not match any known languages recorded in the galaxy. Despite no contact with this language nor frames of reference, I have dedicated a portion of my sub-routines to deciphering the language. To that end I have uploaded a copy of the entirety of this data-block in an attempt to continue the translation."

It paused for a moment before carrying on.

"The second data block is considerably more recent, as little as three-hundred years or fractionally less. It is written in a dialect of a language I have some modest understanding in, an archaic and ritualistic language used primarily on the planet of Korriban by followers of the Sith orders. I would recommend getting it verified by one of Korriban's historians, but I have made some headway in the translation."

"It seems that a little under three-hundred years ago this facility was visited by two Sith Lords named - according to the records - to be Darth Nihilus and Darth Scion. It mentions that they were seeking some way to either cure or expand a physical condition pertaining to Scion. Although the information is incomplete, it seems they were seeking a 'great machine' and there are several references to something called 'The Infinite Empire'."

"If I am translating it correctly," The Droid continued, unrelenting in its facts regardless of the impact upon the listeners, "The 'great machine' they were seeking is indeed located here, and is known as 'The Qua'lixi'in', or 'Harvester of Souls'. No information exists as to what they were actually attempting, though there are references to the machine being 'incomplete' or 'damaged' and it seems they left less than a single Galactic year after arriving."

"The last data block is in Galactic Basic and recorded twelve years ago, a collection of journals and updates written by Ryben Athan, one of the senior researchers for the mining and exploration division of The Terisian Corporation, and original owner of that Identification Card I showed you. It goes into great detail about some major archeological find that turns out to be an ancient machine which they were researching into. It seems Mr Athan was getting close with several viable theories with circumstantial and incomplete evidence to back them up when the records abruptly stop, six months, two weeks, eleven days and twenty-two hours after the team's arrival."

looking at the confused stunned faces, the droid concluded with:

"It would be logical to assume that the large energy source that was detected is likely to be this machine in a semi-functional state. The connection between that and the animated cadavers remains unclear at this point, though I should point out that this specimen," It said motioning toward the now seemingly unconcious floating man, "Shares little of the traits of the four attackers in the top level of the complex and, with some persuasion, may be able to give us more information."

Listening to the droid Lilin's eyes never left the wretch in the tank. “We should leave it be - or kill it” The blaster she held was aimed squarely at the now still human. “This has been a fascinating history lesson but if this place has been like this for six months there's nothing it can tell us about your friend. And I'm not sure I want to know any more about this place – I'll have nightmares enough just seeing it thank you!”

Blaster still trained on the tank, she edged her way closer to Creed. “There's no way we can help this man – or any of them. If we shut these support systems down we'll end up with either a sea of corpses or an army of scared and angry refugees looking for someone to blame” She snorted a frustrated breath before continuing. “Even if he survives out of his tank, having this one in tow will just slow us down and endanger the mission. Lets just find your girlfriend and get – out” Trying to gauge if her words were having any impact, on the off chance the purple headed Creed's hesitances were for altruistic reasons she threw in, ”Once we're gone your Jedi can tell his friends what's here and the Republic can organise a relief effort”

“I don't know this 'Ree...” Lilin was thinking out loud. “If she found out about this place and was stupid enough to come here, and if we assume she made it this far, do we think it's a safe bet she'd be dumb enough to be wanting a closer look at this 'Harvester of Souls'?” Satisfied the man in the tank wasn't about to burst forth and attack, she lowered her weapon. Swinging her bag round on the strap over her shoulder Lilin fished inside and withdrew what looked like a slightly soiled vest and wiped the cold sweat from the back of her neck.

“We go through all that trouble to get here and you all wish to leave early? Depressing…” Nex said shaking his head and walking over to the tank with the humanoid. “I for one, wish to find out what this facility is used for and you can’t tell me you’re not curious.”

“And as for me and my ‘friends’,” Nex was speaking out loud to Lilin while placing a hand on the tank and still studying the humanoid. “Spending many of my years as a small time crime boss doesn’t allow the pleasure of friends, especially on Nar Shaddaa of all places. It also doesn’t put you on good terms in the republics eyes.” Removing his hand and heading over to the console where Forge stood, Nex took in a deep breath and continued.

“Nihilus and Scion took an interest in this place and that’s enough motivation for me to continue searching this place.” He leaned over and stared at the console and then turned his head up to the vast amount of pods around the group. In a lowered voice, almost in audible by the rest of the group Nex finished. “Imagine the power that is contained in these walls. Just think what one could do with it.”

Lilin gave the bird-man a cold stare. “Well I hope you'll forgive me for saying this Master 'small-time crime boss' – which, by the way” she said to Creed, “...you'll have to explain to me if we're smart enough to let sleeping Sith lie and get out of here alive – but you're absolutely nuts! You're gonna get us all killed for the sake of your curiosity?” she asked incredulously.

((Creed on SCS until Sureshot returns))

Creed rubbed his chin in thought as Nex and 'Dee' argued. Both made valid points and they really didn't know enough about this place, let alone Ree'tak's fate. They'd detected a single life form and in all probability due to the secretive nature of the place, it was liable to be the Twi'lek but there was no way to be sure. Not from here anyway.

"Forge," He piped up, deciding not to take any obvious side in the argument. "What's your status? Have you been able to pin-point that bio-signature yet? and how is the upload going?"

"Completing.....now." It replied, removing the data-spike from the console and turning to face the group as it retracted into the metal housing that passed for a wrist.
"Due to the nature of the data it will take some considerable time to decrypt and recreate it all so I have stored it in my databanks to continue work while remaining portable."

Moving closer to the Corellian it continued: "Sir, I was able to get a partial schematical layout of this level whilst connected with the mainframe. There is a service ramp approximately twenty-eight meters to our south between two rows of stasis pods. That leads to a lower level which, through a few corridors, grants access to the power source which I can now confirm is the central core of this 'Qua'lixi'in' device. From here I should be able to patch into the administration level communication array and divert enough power from the core to boost a signal and contact The Zenith."

Lastly it added "This is also the rough area of the bio-signature but the energy readings from the device are hampering precise readings."

Nodding to the droid, Creed addressed the Jedi and two women:

"Nex, you're curious and I undestand that. This place is a potential find and has been off the radar so long that we might have a monopoly on it. The credit value of this thing alone must be massive, let alone what we can get out of Terisian Corp for all the info we've dug up. Dee here also has a point though, and I can see where she's coming from - we should'nt be here, at least not in this small a group. If these.....'people' wake up they have us outnumbered over 100 to 1 and I'm not keen on those odds."

Pulling a cigarra from his pocket and putting it in his mouth he stopped just before lighting it; as if something inside him warned him it would be a very bad idea.

"Personally I came here to find Ree and that's just what I'm gonna do. So here's my suggestion: we follow all those plans. Lets get down there, get Ree'tak and get the hell outta here. Nex, if you wanna take in the sights on the way thats fine, but Forge? I want you to record all this for analysis when we get back to The Zenith."

Pulling his blaster pistol back out he made his way cautiously along the large steel gangplank past the row of pods in the direction Forge indicated.

"Lets go find our missing Twi'lek, then we can decide what to do about this 'machine' and the pods."

Nex followed slowly behind Creed, his curiosity slowing him and making him scan the tanks he walked past with his eyes carefully. In a calmer yet somewhat remorseful tone he replied to Creed, “I must apologize for the previous argument. Do not worry, I am honor bound to find Ree’tak and will get her out of here if she is indeed within these walls. I am only expressing interests and opinions.”

“Forgive me Dee,” Nex said, unsure of where she was behind him but loud enough so that he could be heard. “I may have come off as insulting and I apologize. It won’t happen again.”

Growing up as more of a warrior, Nex’s skills at being sympathetic and expressing regret were shaky at best and were conditioned, in his mind, to be a sign of weakness for an enemy to exploit. Hoping he didn’t sound too ridiculous he gathered himself and continued to follow Creed.

With a quick and discreet shake of his head, Nex spoke in a stronger and confident voice instead of a more apologetic one. “My main goal still does, and will, remain locating and extracting Ree’tak to the Zenith, or fall in the attempt.” Nex’s head once again turned to the overabundance of pods in the distance as he finished his sentence. 100 to 1… Nex thought to himself with a chuckle. Now that would be a grand exit.

With a once again clear mind, Nex focused on the task at hand.

Ree'tak, “I hope this Twe'lik was worth the effort” Rill found herself thinking, she had never been sent to rescue fallen comrades before, “They lay where they fall” should have been the motto for her previous employers employees rights. Other agents would disappear and the only mention of it would be a increased hostility rating of the local populace due to the uncovering of their agent, a fairly callous manner but one that kept them on their toes, no one took chances that they knew they couldn't escape from.
How this Twe'lik had managed to get herself lost or captured so far from normal space was a mystery, surely if she was on a mission she would have been accompanied but yet this group seemed to be only interested in her and not fallen comrades. Had she blindly gone into a mission with no care for her own safety, knowing that her allies would risk more lives just to save hers, it seemed like an arrogant state of mind and a curious way to run whatever grouping these people followed.
But maybe this is what normal people do she wondered, she had so little experience outside the world of espionage that treating anyone as more than a commodity was an alien mindset, dangerous and potentially harmful to any professional enterprise it still had a certain appeal that Ril found enticing.

The droid had calmed her conscious when he mention all these beings were already dead and it somewhat made the situation easier to deal with, now it was plain and simple no more questions of morality need to hold her down, anyway she promised to herself make these changes gradually not go rescuing thousands of people on her first attempt. Looking at the large elegant bird in front of her she weighed up the possibility of him being offended by questioning however he seemed hospitable enough, well compared to Wookie's shed met, “Are you an ex Jedi or merely independently trained?”she asked curiously. “I've seen many Jedi who have left the order but many have slipped to the dark side and are no longer as ...moral as you appear to be?” Ril choose her words carefully as not to antagonise him but realised she may have not totally achieved this.