The year is 859 ABY, and a convoy of ships from the Outer Planets Alliance has just set out on an exploratory and diplomatic mission to Firefist, home of the Nagai and Tof species.
In the midst of the ongoing galactic war, this could be considered a foolhardy maneuver...
Though perhaps it could also provide a source of needed allies for the alliance against their enemies in the dastardly Sith Empire.
For protection, High Marshal Cotan Sar'andor, leader of the Judges of the Outer Rim, has gone ahead of the convoy, drawing numerous threats away from their path.
However, Marshal Sar'andor had also felt a strange calling from the Force, drawing him deeper into the satellite galaxy.
With his only backup being Jedi Master Jend-Ro Quill, who was with the main body of the convoy, Cotan saw fit to set after this vague feeling alone.
Thankfully, it seemed to follow the path of the convoy almost exactly, enabling him to continue on his earlier mission.
However, not long after the convoy proper entered Companion Besh, tragedy struck.
Cotan's signals had gone silent, and the only lead that the convoy had on his position was a distress beacon activated by his astromech, deep in the core of the satellite galaxy.
With Master Jend-Ro off on a journey of spiritual discovery with the Nagai, that meant the Outer Planets Alliance had only one option to save their missing High Marshal.
Only one woman had the skill and power to make the dangerous journey, retrieve the Judge, and return to tell the tale.
Their only hope was galactic hero Auteme Denko-Durren.
* * * * * * * * *
"Are you sure this is the right path, Kiss?" Auteme shouted over the wind, holding up a hand to shield her eyes from the sun. The unnamed planet was a blasted hellscape, with the only surface structure to be seen from horizon to horizon being the ship that Cotan Sar'andor had piloted to the place. The small astromech droid currently leading Auteme around burbled back something affirmatory, struggling to be heard through the gale that threatened to send even its heavy metal chassis flying backwards. Auteme shook her head for a moment, before continuing forwards, digging her heels into the sand and rock to keep from being blown over.In the midst of the ongoing galactic war, this could be considered a foolhardy maneuver...
Though perhaps it could also provide a source of needed allies for the alliance against their enemies in the dastardly Sith Empire.
For protection, High Marshal Cotan Sar'andor, leader of the Judges of the Outer Rim, has gone ahead of the convoy, drawing numerous threats away from their path.
However, Marshal Sar'andor had also felt a strange calling from the Force, drawing him deeper into the satellite galaxy.
With his only backup being Jedi Master Jend-Ro Quill, who was with the main body of the convoy, Cotan saw fit to set after this vague feeling alone.
Thankfully, it seemed to follow the path of the convoy almost exactly, enabling him to continue on his earlier mission.
However, not long after the convoy proper entered Companion Besh, tragedy struck.
Cotan's signals had gone silent, and the only lead that the convoy had on his position was a distress beacon activated by his astromech, deep in the core of the satellite galaxy.
With Master Jend-Ro off on a journey of spiritual discovery with the Nagai, that meant the Outer Planets Alliance had only one option to save their missing High Marshal.
Only one woman had the skill and power to make the dangerous journey, retrieve the Judge, and return to tell the tale.
Their only hope was galactic hero Auteme Denko-Durren.
* * * * * * * * *
They'd been walking for hours already, and she could still see the two small freighters, sitting on the horizon, tens of kilometers away. It was like the planet was endlessly flat, and the wind was striving to erase every surface irregularity that kept it from being perfectly smooth. Including the Jedi and the astromech that currently walked along. But, Auteme would not be dissuaded by some inclement weather; nothing could stop her from achieving her goals, not when there was a life to save.
She walked on in silence, squinting to see through the dust that had been kicked up. Before long, she started to resolve some detail through the storm; before she could figure out what it was, though, the droid squealed out in excitement, rushing forwards. "Hey, wait for me!" she yelled at it, running up behind. They seemed to have found some sort of large rock outcropping sticking out of the ground, though on closer inspection, Auteme noticed something more interesting. There appeared to be an opening carved into it—intentionally carved, not a feature of erosion or some sort of cavern entrance—with steps, leading downwards. Everything had been heavily eroded by the dust, and there was a large amount constantly sifting downwards. As she touched the stone, though, she shuddered, a feeling of powerful cold washing over her.
"This is worse than any Sith tomb I've seen," she said, pulling her hand back quickly. "What's Cotan doing, exploring a place like this without help?" She turned to the droid, waiting to see its reply; all it did was draw back its forward limbs, kicking up the chassis in an astromech's approximation of a shrug. With a sigh, Auteme started downwards. "Maybe this isn't just an outcropping," she muttered to herself. "Maybe it used to be some grand entrance." Behind her, she heard the constant thunk-thunk-thunk of K1-S5 descending the stairs, eager to help in the rescue of its master. As she descended, the base of the stairs slowly started to come into view, along with a large metal grate that the shifting sand was falling into.
Glancing over it with a well-studied eye, Auteme had to marvel for a moment. She had no clue how large the cavern underneath the grating was, but it was extremely full of sand and rocks; based on the wear of everything else, though...
"They really planned ahead, didn't they?" she muttered. "This has to have been here for a few millennia, at least." If not tens of millennia. Could it even pre-date the Sith and Jedi both? I'll have to come back here some day.
Beyond the grating was a large stone door, though it had been forced partially open, just enough for her and the astromech to fit through, one at a time. She went through it first, eyes peeled for danger. There was no telling what you might run into in tombs like this—animals, traps, undead minions, the list was nearly endless. "Alright, Kiss, you got a flashlight for me?" she asked the droid, who promptly lit up the space before them. Protected from the elements in here, the stonework was still crisp and fresh, nearly sharp enough on the corners that a person could cut themselves. Auteme swallowed nervously, trying to push the ever-encroaching feeling of the Dark Side out of her mind as she walked forwards. She could sense someone else, though, much deeper in the complex. Not entirely light, but definitely shining like a beacon in the void of death and cold that this place was in the Force. It had to be Cotan.
"Alright, let's move forward," she mumbled, walking cautiously through the tomb. "Just be on the lookout for—"
Just behind her, the astromech squealed; Auteme turned on her heel, looking face to face with an undead corpse that had just burst out of a protrusion on the wall. K1-S5 sped around behind her as she settled into a combat stance, wishing she hadn't left her lightsaber charging on the ship. The humanoid zombie shambled forwards, lashing out at her with a clawed right hook; she stepped slightly aside, grabbing the thing by the wrist and yanking it over her outstretched leg, trying to trip it up.
What she didn't expect was for the arm to come off as she did so.
With a distasteful look at the detached appendage she held, Auteme turned back to the undead abomination as it rose again, turning to face her with a mournful groan. "What, do you need a hand getting back to sleep?" she sassed at it, holding the arm like a club. "It might do wonders for your grumpy attitude!" She lunged forwards, swinging the arm hard; it connected faster than the zombie could react, sending its head flying—and then collapsing with a wet splat against the wall—as the rest of the body fell to the floor. Unfortunately, the sound seemed to have awoken other corpses, as they started to shove aside the caps to their sarcophagi.
"Let's try not to lose our heads over this, yeah, Kiss?" she said to Cotan's astromech, settling into a defensive stance, still holding the arm. K1-S5 burbled a nervous affirmative, a plate on its chassis opening to reveal a blaster barrel. "Just going out on a limb here, but I don't think this is the worst that Cotan ran into when he came down this way."
