[ACCESS GRANTED.]
PROCESSING...
PROCESSING...
INITIALIZING...
[INITIALIZATION AND ARCHIVE RETRIEVAL COMPLETE.]
"A DARK PILGRIMAGE" RECORD 04: THE LAB RAID
[BEGINNING PLAYBACK]
Korriban
23:00 (Korriban Time)
[ERROR] / [ERROR] / 869 ABY
"Keep us low, we can't attract any unwanted attention. The last thing we need is a warlord sending their hounds after us." "Of course, High Priest." Alisteri glanced over the landscape as the shuttle flew just above the ground. Normally he wouldn't want to be so close to the ground, but they had to keep under the radar. There were only a dozen of them, and only the handful of Legionnaires had any proper training anyway, they would be no good in a proper fight.
That was even if they had a ground fight and weren't just shot out of the sky.
He left the pilot to do their work and made his way to the rear of the shuttle, where twelve members of the cult were awaiting. They were armed, almost half of them had some form of armor to protect them, but he didn't intend for them to see combat. Mainly they were here as a precaution, and as able hands. "Alright, everyone look alive and do your final checks over your weapons as you listen." The idle chatter came to a halt and all eyes turned to him as the Acolyte strode past the sitting militia, stopping at the back ramp and turning to look over the assembled cultists.
"We are not in friendly territory. Korriban is not under the control of any reputable Sith anymore, it is as dangerous as any other. I expect you all to follow my orders without question or hesitation, this is a simple extraction and nothing more." It had been awhile since Alisteri had been in any sort of 'command' position, and even then he only had experience with small squad operations. This sort of mission was new to him, but he wasn't about to be hesitant about it. The holocron had led him here to acquire what he would need, and he would get it one way or another.
"If there are any questions or concerns about this mission then voice them now." He wasn't surprised by the silence that followed, but the raised hand that shot up after a few seconds did catch him a bit off guard. "Just one question Mr. Haxim sir, what exactly are we extracting?" The man that had spoken up slumped and pulled back into his seat slightly as all eyes in the back of the shuttle were fixed on him as he spoke, but Alisteri welcomed the question. "Mostly we're recovering very, very old medical equipment. It's better than nothing and will help with our refugee efforts, even if it will require repair. However I also want you to keep your eye out for terminals, books, anything that could have information. I myself will handle some of the more...exotic items that we're after." The militia member looked as if he was about to raise his hand again, but the masked stare of the Legionnaires and their leader seemed to silence him and he instead nodded. "Understood, sir."
"Landing zone is in sight High Priest, it looks clear." The pilot's voice came from the cockpit and the Sith nodded in response before turning to face the ramp. "Set us down and keep an eye on the sky, get out and away at the first sign of trouble. With any luck, this shouldn't take us too long."
Soon enough the shuttle had made its descent and the ramp began to open and allow exit, the militia members all standing and lining up behind the Acolyte as he led the way out of the ship and onto the planet. Just as he remembered, Korriban was deceptively cool and had a biting breeze. He even idly heard a couple of the more underdressed militia shiver as they left the confines of the ship. The moment brought a small smirk to his face, but it faded as he pulled a holoprojector from his pocket and activated it.
It clicked to life, flashing up a small display of the supposed entrance to the ancient laboratory that they would be looting. If the holocron was right, it had been since the last great age of the Sith since it had been opened or used, but he needed anything he could get. He held up the device to shift the projection, his gaze sweeping over the barren and rocky landscape before him to try and match up the projection with something real. "If I ever get to the point in my life where I'm making secret bases, someone please remind me to make proper maps of the place." The joke drew out a couple chuckles and small laughs, but the tension returned as the Acolyte suddenly stopped his searching and deactivated the device.
He had found it.
Alisteri quickly slipped the projector back into his pocket and strode forward to run his hand along a seemingly plain rocky outcropping. His gaze narrowed as he began closely examining every crack and crevice that he could find, gradually making his way down towards the bottom of the rock until finally his hand slipped into a crack and touched something far too cold to be rock. "Aha!" The masked man pulled his hand back, his other quick to fish a small vibroblade from his pocket. With little time to waste he pulled the glove up just enough to reveal the bottom of his palm, and with a small slice later, pressed the wound into the metal hidden within the rock. For a moment nothing happened, and then the plain rock wall shuddered and began to move.
The Legionnaires aimed their blasters ahead at the door as it slid open, with the rest of the militia following suite as the Acolyte stood and pulled his glove back on. "Turn on your lights, I have a suspicion that it may be a bit dark within." He didn't wait for them however, they knew to continue behind him as he stepped forward and into the doorway of the lab. The metal of the floor immediately after the planet's natural surface was surprisingly smooth of a transition, but the dark hallway leading deeper into the rock reminded him all too much of other places on Korriban. Sith usually had a flair for such things after all.
He pulled his lightsaber from his hip and ignited the blade before taking his first few steps inside the hallway. The light it illuminated, as well as the lights from the militia behind him, weren't necessary for him to see of course. Rather, he wanted to be ready just in case. If this place really hasn't been opened for thousands of years then we may have nothing to worry about...keyword being 'may.'
"Eyes forward and keep a tight formation. We don't know what's in here."
With the militia silently following his order, he began moving further into the laboratory. The hallway wasn't too long thankfully, it eventually opened up to a relatively large chamber with a single flickering ceiling light illuminating the center of the room. He glanced around, spotting various equipment and devices around the room. As well as what looked to be one or two large empty tanks, bacta tanks perhaps, that had their own equipment around them. "Alright, fan out and strip everything useful. Work together to haul something large and grab whatever you can carry normally, even if it's nailed down then I want it pried up."
As they set to work, he kept on, moving further into the lab and leaving them behind to search for the true valuables. The chamber led to a door at the far back of the room, and he was quick to approach it. The triangular lock in the center of the door awaited him, and he paused for just a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out what he knew would fit inside. "Ah, it has been far too long since I've seen a proper alchemical array. Thank you Acolyte, I appreciate the...trip." He ignored the sarcastic tone of the holocron as he pressed the device into the lock and turned it.
The door accepted it, soon sliding open after he had pulled the device away and stowed it away again. "Beware what you might find, you enter the workshop of a true Sith..." Alisteri merely clicked his tongue in response and stepped forward. The room beyond the main chamber was cold, and it was a familiar kind. The Dark Side sat heavy within the back room as the Acolyte made his way inside.
More sinister pieces of 'medical' equipment, more like torture devices, littered the area. Each more disturbing than the last. What really drew his attention however were the various basins and what appeared to be some form of altar on the far side of the room. He ran his hand over the edge of one of the basins, his gaze soon landing on what lay within one. A skeletal hand, and one that was unfamiliar. It seemed to be either Human or Near-Human at first glance, but upon further inspection it was....different. The elongated fingers ending in sharp claws, the thick palm bones, and the markings all long the bones that appeared to be runes or symbols of some sort painted a sinister picture.
He stared at the hand for a long moment before turning his gaze to a nearby table, quickly moving over to it once he spotted a datapad atop it. It was old, of course, but the information it could hold was important enough to take. Combined with the equipment already here, most of which could be moved, he would have all that he needed to begin his work. The crate under the table did not go unnoticed for long, with Alisteri soon cracking it open and glancing inside.
"Raw materials right next to the workstation. How unsafe and unsanitary..." The holocron was paid little heed as the masked man picked up the crate and slipped the datapad in his pocket. Most of the biological materials within the crate had long since decayed past the point of use, but there were other manufactured materials that he could salvage and potentially use. It would have to do. It would take time to get everything out, but it would be well worth it.
"Krios! I need some help in here."
Korriban
24:00 (Korriban Time)
[ERROR] / [ERROR] / 867 ABY
[ENDING RECORD PLAYBACK]
PROCESSING...
PROCESSING...
INITIALIZING...
[INITIALIZATION AND ARCHIVE RETRIEVAL COMPLETE.]
"A DARK PILGRIMAGE" RECORD 04: THE LAB RAID
[BEGINNING PLAYBACK]
Korriban
23:00 (Korriban Time)
[ERROR] / [ERROR] / 869 ABY
"Keep us low, we can't attract any unwanted attention. The last thing we need is a warlord sending their hounds after us." "Of course, High Priest." Alisteri glanced over the landscape as the shuttle flew just above the ground. Normally he wouldn't want to be so close to the ground, but they had to keep under the radar. There were only a dozen of them, and only the handful of Legionnaires had any proper training anyway, they would be no good in a proper fight.
That was even if they had a ground fight and weren't just shot out of the sky.
He left the pilot to do their work and made his way to the rear of the shuttle, where twelve members of the cult were awaiting. They were armed, almost half of them had some form of armor to protect them, but he didn't intend for them to see combat. Mainly they were here as a precaution, and as able hands. "Alright, everyone look alive and do your final checks over your weapons as you listen." The idle chatter came to a halt and all eyes turned to him as the Acolyte strode past the sitting militia, stopping at the back ramp and turning to look over the assembled cultists.
"We are not in friendly territory. Korriban is not under the control of any reputable Sith anymore, it is as dangerous as any other. I expect you all to follow my orders without question or hesitation, this is a simple extraction and nothing more." It had been awhile since Alisteri had been in any sort of 'command' position, and even then he only had experience with small squad operations. This sort of mission was new to him, but he wasn't about to be hesitant about it. The holocron had led him here to acquire what he would need, and he would get it one way or another.
"If there are any questions or concerns about this mission then voice them now." He wasn't surprised by the silence that followed, but the raised hand that shot up after a few seconds did catch him a bit off guard. "Just one question Mr. Haxim sir, what exactly are we extracting?" The man that had spoken up slumped and pulled back into his seat slightly as all eyes in the back of the shuttle were fixed on him as he spoke, but Alisteri welcomed the question. "Mostly we're recovering very, very old medical equipment. It's better than nothing and will help with our refugee efforts, even if it will require repair. However I also want you to keep your eye out for terminals, books, anything that could have information. I myself will handle some of the more...exotic items that we're after." The militia member looked as if he was about to raise his hand again, but the masked stare of the Legionnaires and their leader seemed to silence him and he instead nodded. "Understood, sir."
"Landing zone is in sight High Priest, it looks clear." The pilot's voice came from the cockpit and the Sith nodded in response before turning to face the ramp. "Set us down and keep an eye on the sky, get out and away at the first sign of trouble. With any luck, this shouldn't take us too long."
Soon enough the shuttle had made its descent and the ramp began to open and allow exit, the militia members all standing and lining up behind the Acolyte as he led the way out of the ship and onto the planet. Just as he remembered, Korriban was deceptively cool and had a biting breeze. He even idly heard a couple of the more underdressed militia shiver as they left the confines of the ship. The moment brought a small smirk to his face, but it faded as he pulled a holoprojector from his pocket and activated it.
It clicked to life, flashing up a small display of the supposed entrance to the ancient laboratory that they would be looting. If the holocron was right, it had been since the last great age of the Sith since it had been opened or used, but he needed anything he could get. He held up the device to shift the projection, his gaze sweeping over the barren and rocky landscape before him to try and match up the projection with something real. "If I ever get to the point in my life where I'm making secret bases, someone please remind me to make proper maps of the place." The joke drew out a couple chuckles and small laughs, but the tension returned as the Acolyte suddenly stopped his searching and deactivated the device.
He had found it.
Alisteri quickly slipped the projector back into his pocket and strode forward to run his hand along a seemingly plain rocky outcropping. His gaze narrowed as he began closely examining every crack and crevice that he could find, gradually making his way down towards the bottom of the rock until finally his hand slipped into a crack and touched something far too cold to be rock. "Aha!" The masked man pulled his hand back, his other quick to fish a small vibroblade from his pocket. With little time to waste he pulled the glove up just enough to reveal the bottom of his palm, and with a small slice later, pressed the wound into the metal hidden within the rock. For a moment nothing happened, and then the plain rock wall shuddered and began to move.
The Legionnaires aimed their blasters ahead at the door as it slid open, with the rest of the militia following suite as the Acolyte stood and pulled his glove back on. "Turn on your lights, I have a suspicion that it may be a bit dark within." He didn't wait for them however, they knew to continue behind him as he stepped forward and into the doorway of the lab. The metal of the floor immediately after the planet's natural surface was surprisingly smooth of a transition, but the dark hallway leading deeper into the rock reminded him all too much of other places on Korriban. Sith usually had a flair for such things after all.
He pulled his lightsaber from his hip and ignited the blade before taking his first few steps inside the hallway. The light it illuminated, as well as the lights from the militia behind him, weren't necessary for him to see of course. Rather, he wanted to be ready just in case. If this place really hasn't been opened for thousands of years then we may have nothing to worry about...keyword being 'may.'
"Eyes forward and keep a tight formation. We don't know what's in here."
With the militia silently following his order, he began moving further into the laboratory. The hallway wasn't too long thankfully, it eventually opened up to a relatively large chamber with a single flickering ceiling light illuminating the center of the room. He glanced around, spotting various equipment and devices around the room. As well as what looked to be one or two large empty tanks, bacta tanks perhaps, that had their own equipment around them. "Alright, fan out and strip everything useful. Work together to haul something large and grab whatever you can carry normally, even if it's nailed down then I want it pried up."
As they set to work, he kept on, moving further into the lab and leaving them behind to search for the true valuables. The chamber led to a door at the far back of the room, and he was quick to approach it. The triangular lock in the center of the door awaited him, and he paused for just a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out what he knew would fit inside. "Ah, it has been far too long since I've seen a proper alchemical array. Thank you Acolyte, I appreciate the...trip." He ignored the sarcastic tone of the holocron as he pressed the device into the lock and turned it.
The door accepted it, soon sliding open after he had pulled the device away and stowed it away again. "Beware what you might find, you enter the workshop of a true Sith..." Alisteri merely clicked his tongue in response and stepped forward. The room beyond the main chamber was cold, and it was a familiar kind. The Dark Side sat heavy within the back room as the Acolyte made his way inside.
More sinister pieces of 'medical' equipment, more like torture devices, littered the area. Each more disturbing than the last. What really drew his attention however were the various basins and what appeared to be some form of altar on the far side of the room. He ran his hand over the edge of one of the basins, his gaze soon landing on what lay within one. A skeletal hand, and one that was unfamiliar. It seemed to be either Human or Near-Human at first glance, but upon further inspection it was....different. The elongated fingers ending in sharp claws, the thick palm bones, and the markings all long the bones that appeared to be runes or symbols of some sort painted a sinister picture.
He stared at the hand for a long moment before turning his gaze to a nearby table, quickly moving over to it once he spotted a datapad atop it. It was old, of course, but the information it could hold was important enough to take. Combined with the equipment already here, most of which could be moved, he would have all that he needed to begin his work. The crate under the table did not go unnoticed for long, with Alisteri soon cracking it open and glancing inside.
"Raw materials right next to the workstation. How unsafe and unsanitary..." The holocron was paid little heed as the masked man picked up the crate and slipped the datapad in his pocket. Most of the biological materials within the crate had long since decayed past the point of use, but there were other manufactured materials that he could salvage and potentially use. It would have to do. It would take time to get everything out, but it would be well worth it.
"Krios! I need some help in here."
Korriban
24:00 (Korriban Time)
[ERROR] / [ERROR] / 867 ABY
[ENDING RECORD PLAYBACK]
