Public And Still the Lights Burn

[Scherezade deWinter]

Somewhere in the Unknown Regions
Unknown Planet​

The distress signal had been repeating for forty-seven years.

Twelve words. Static-choked. A voice that didn't even sound human anymore, warped by time and vacuum until it was little more than a hum with syllables embedded in it, a heartbeat beneath the noise. Scherezade hadn't meant to find it at all, the ping had hidden itself in a spectrum no beacon had occupied in a very long time. But somehow, ever since her last visit to Denon, it had scratched across the back of her mind until she gave in and followed.

Now, here she was.

The outpost hung in orbit above a gas giant the color of spoiled honey, its storm bands rolling slow and heavy beneath her ship. The station looked skeletal, ribs of metal rising out of shadow, half of it missing where the gravity tethers had failed. A thousand kilometers of silent machinery, long stripped of purpose that somehow, still glowed.

She didn't get it. Systems this old should've failed centuries ago. The auxiliary energy grid would've corroded, the fusion cells gone cold. Yet every docking beacon blinked a perfect pattern, and it felt as though it had been waiting for her. She really hoped it hadn't. Even the Sithling had her own limits when it came to certifiably crazy.

The hatch opened with a loud and creaky groan. The air that met her smelled of rust and microwaved recycled death. She stepped through anyway, her boots landing on a grating that thrummed faintly beneath her soles. The power was low but steady. Something was still feeding it.

Here goes nothing…

 

[Jak Meridian]

-

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Jak Meridian

---

Scherezade blinked. Something shifted. The hum beneath the metal grew deeper, turning from vibration into pulse, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck rose. She froze in the corridor, one hand still on the wall. The light above her head flickered twice, like a blink.

Then came the voice. Not through ears. Through the marrow. A ripple that passed under her skin like static electricity. Friend. Or foe? She paused her movements. The station had been whispering since she arrived, but this was different. Sharper. Human? And threaded with the unmistakable echo of the Force.

She turned slowly, already knowing what she'd find. She scanned the corridor behind her. Empty, as expected. But the air seemed thicker now, the recycled atmosphere vibrating with presence. She could feel another awareness pushing against the edges of her perception. Not quite hidden, but more like… She wasn't sure if careful was the right word to use for the situation.

A hunter's presence.

Scherezade closed her eyes and let her own awareness slip outward like smoke. The outpost groaned around her, as though alive with a thousand faint heartbeats, but beneath it all was the flare of someone else. Distant, moving closer.

Friend or foe, the voice had said.

She smiled faintly, though there was no humour reflected on her facial features. She didn't answer.

Reaching inward, she dampened her presence to a faint ember, letting the Force coil low in her gut. If this newcomer wanted to speak, they could come find her. The outpost itself seemed willing to play along, its lights dimming ahead of her, shadows lengthening into strange, liquid shapes that swallowed the corridor's end.

As she moved forward towards where she thought the voice's owner might be, another tremor passed through the floor plating. Dust sifted down from a ruptured vent overhead. Somewhere, something metallic struck the deck with a hollow clang.

She passed through another bulkhead into a larger chamber. Consoles lined the walls, dead for decades except one, a central display flickering weakly, its glow washing her in sickly blue light.

The screen pulsed, heartbeat-slow, syncing almost perfectly with the rhythm of her own chest.

And now she ran out of patience. Her presence in the Force flared out as she reached to the voice that had spoken to her, now sending a message of her own. You heard it too, right?

 

[Jak Meridian]

-

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Jak Meridian

---

So her stranger had heard it as well. Scherezade nodded to no one. There was something she knew she was supposed to be doing there, in front of the console, but the exact thing escaped for now. Instead, she focused on feeling the vibrations through the ground, her senses all attuned and beyond the usual level of sensitivity she allowed herself to feel. Something was… No, not something. Someone. Her stranger.

When he blasted into the room, her body remained as casual as it had been earlier, even before he claimed her as friend. Though his weapons were out to show her that he meant her no harm, Scherezade's own armour concealed quite a few blades, and she never showed everyone everything she carried on with her. Except one person, but he wasn't there with them.

"Scherezade," she grinned in an almost too childlike manner after he introduced himself. This was nice. This was refreshing. The number of times people didn't just try to out right kill her was growing, and it was such a weird sensation after having entire years of absolutely no one trying to do that go by. Then again, the galaxy itself was a lot softer than what took place beyond its edge, even if it thought itself to be ridiculously tough.

Learned anything? She chewed on her lower lip for a moment.

"This ship should be dead," she decided to tell him not too many seconds after that, going Full Kessel on this, "instead, it's been beeping for decades. Something is still powering it, and it should've corroded and dropped planet-side ages ago. There's something here, I'm just not sure what. Could be a monster. Could be an artifact. Could be something I'm looking for."

She paused then, eying Jak and… Scenting him. To him, it would look like she was just inhaling. But what she was doing as she did so, was sniffing the smell of his blood out. For all intents and purposes, Scherezade considered herself mostly human. But she had a gift with blood, which she had decided to title as Blood Hound abilities. She'd yet to find another Blood Hound in the 'verse.

Focusing again, she inhaled a second time in short succession. Male, human. Or close enough to human for her senses to title him as such. Her senses wouldn't pick up on the cyborg parts of him, and there was no reason for her to notice his blood pumped slightly less than your average human to support them.

But why was he here?

"How'd you end up here?" she asked, her voice casual, almost as though they were sitting for coffee and getting to know each other.

 

[Jak Meridian]

-

 

[IG-322]

THUNK.

THUNK. THUNK.

THUNK THUNK.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The unpleasant, and downright cataclysmic noise of metal being torn from itself echoed throughout the confines of the ship. The outter hull of the vessel buckling, and then slowly beginning to tear. It's very metal ripping as though it were made of paper. A feat most would find surprising, if not impossible. But, Durasteel could be ripped with a fair enough effort. Particularly by those who possessed the capabilities of In-organics. Meaning, it helped to have metal hands.

IG-322 fell onto the deck of the ship with a heavy metal thud. The step of It's frame echoing only through the sound of rushing air which breezed passed it. The barest hint of whatever power-generators still operating aboard quickly firing into gear as a ray-shield attempted to flicker into place over the hole the Droid had made.

Not that it made much of a difference.

Up ahead the bulkheads were already closed, and IG suspected that it would be much the same behind. The ship had been abandoned, and the section It had decided to break into particularly so. There were already other life-signs aboard, and 322 had no intention of running into them if they could be avoided.

The Droid was learning more and more than Organics tended to be...unpredictable. A factor which the holo-vids It had been fed throughout it's infancy had not been indicative of.

There had always seemed to be a plan in those.

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Jak Meridian & IG-322

---

Luck had been his answer. Scherezade saw no reason to dig further or to open a philosophical debate about it. As long as he wasn't actively attacking her, whoever he was, whatever he wanted to do, was just fine by her. It was nice, being able to narrow down potential dangers through the filter of a y/n question. And whatever he thought he saw in her, as long as those weapons of his didn't try to go through her, they were cool with each other.

And she heard it too. That sound of ripping metal, of foot steps… It was closer than she had initially assumed it was, now that she had a moment to focus on it.

Scherezade crouched, flattening the palm of her hand against the floor, feeling the vibrations. Her eyes closed as she threw all her senses into it, trying to find… There!

"It's moving," she mumbled and stood up again and pointed behind her, "that's the direction!"

She couldn't scent any other blood, but that didn't have to mean anything at this point. You didn't need blood to be a threat, or to have answers.

"You're welcome to come along, Jak," she grinned before turning on her heel and breaking into a sprint down the darkened corridor. She was going to find @ IG-322, even if she didn't know it for sure yet.

 

[Jak Meridian]

-

 

[IG-322]

The loud clatter of the Droid's footsteps echoed through the halls of the ship, each and every thomp of It's feet reaching all the way down to the very hull. Despite that fact IG-322 made no effort to move with more stealth, that was currently and impossibility. Though It's body had been based on the design of Human Replica Droid's, the components which made up it's form certainly hadn't.

Thus, IG-322 continued to tromp forward.

It's trajectory within the ship was a simple one; up. Below the Organics had begun to move in the same direction, something the droid was only vaguely aware of due to It's own inbuilt sensors. Though it could not locate them through the levels of the deck exactly. 322 made a note to itself to upgrade itself at a later date.

For now It simply increased the pace of it's footsteps.

The heavy thud of it's stride increased, the resounding call echoing like a song throughout the ship.

The Droid quickly began to make It's way through the halls of the vessel, cutting corners at an exacting pace and quickly moving towards the nearest stairwell. There it would swiftly bound up the durasteel construction, bounding as it held onto the rails and heading directly towards the ship's Reactor Core.

Scherezade deWinter | Jak Meridian

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Jak Meridian & IG-322

---

"Why am I here?" she echoed, flashing a grin over her shoulder. "Would you believe me if I said curiosity killed the Sithling?"

The words came out light and teasing, but her eyes stayed fixed forward. The corridor dipped lower, walls narrowing around them. Overhead, the lights flickered in nervous bursts. Steam hissed from a split pipe as they passed, curling around her boots.

She leapt over a fallen beam, landing without breaking stride. The air tasted old, burned, and electric. Something mechanical was ahead, some sort of a strange rhythm that she didn't particularly enjoy, made up with notes of heavy steps.

Scherezade slowed to a jog, her breathing steady, hand hovering close to her hilt, though she doubted she'd be pulling it out soon. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing as a shadow crossed the far end of the corridor. Something that was tall, angular, and probably didn't rely on the need to breathe. Ger grin faded a little.

"I hope that's not a droid" she whispered, already knowing that whatever it was, it couldn't bleed, "I hate the way metal on droid body sounds. Scratches my ear drums in all the wrong ways. Nails down a krakking blackboard."

 

[Jak Meridian]

-

 

[IG-322]

Jedi.

As soon as they had come to the same level IG had 'felt' them. The description was not quite accurate, but close enough considering It's own sensor package. It was the lightsabers however that had been a surprise. Pinhole cameras allowed It those insights, that and the dull light which cast onto the walls.

Though, as the two Jedi stepped closer the Droid was able to determine these were not Jedi at all, at least one of them was not. The Lightsabers were not the correct color, at least not according to the lore of the Holovids It had been trained. "That, organic, is entirely dependent upon your own actions."

It did not quite understand the difference between Jedi and Sith, but It knew that there was one. Whatever division had been created between these two sects did not truly matter, the holovids had been educational enough for the Droid to understand most combat engagements would go unfavorably. At least for the moment.

IG-322's fingers crunched into the wall where it had been holding itself.

The Station was falling apart, that much was clear. There would not be much time to retrieve what it required.

"Do not stand in our way and there will be no conflict." The Droid's voice was neutral, an echo of the old IG units that had been produced with more intentional purpose. "I seek no quarrel."

It stated plainly as it slowly began to move again, never ceasing it's direction towards the Reactor room. Sensors slowly casting outward to ensure it wouldn't run into any dead-ends.

Scherezade deWinter | Jak Meridian

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Jak Meridian & IG-322

---

Scherezade audibly groaned as the lights turned red. Red lights were great for a fight only when you were watching a holiflick. In reality, it was more annoying than helpful. She took a deep breath, trying to change the focus of her vision, trying to quicken the time she'd need for herself to adjust. Jak took the lead then, moving forward. Well. What else could she do but leave or follow, and Scherezade wasn't one to leave a party early for no good reason.

She listened as Jak and the droid, discovered at last, traded a few words. It seemed the offer Jak had given her was given to the droid as well, though the latter was a lot less friendly then Scherezade had been a mere few moments ago.

And then the droid started moving again towards the reactor room. The very same reactor that if, turned off, by Scherezade's calculations, could bring the entire station down. Which was normally something she didn't care for, but she did need just a little bit more time.

"Hey hold on," she called after him, walking, her weapons sliding back to beneath her armor and out of view, motioning for Jak to do the same, "What are you looking for? I'm searching for something too and I'd really like to find it before you deliver the last blow to this floating jump heap."

 

[Jak Meridian]

-

 

[IG-322]

The droid did not slow it's pace, though did answer Scherezade. "This vessels reactor was developed with a unique sub-system. We require the core program for this system."

Just as it finished, the Station seemed to shake once more. The crunch of metal echoed out, but this time it was not IG-322 who was at fault. One of the pipes behind it suddenly seemed to shift, and then buckle. Odd, given that it had not been scanned as an upcoming stress point. The droid seemed to turn back towards a moment, staring at the Organics through the fire which now separated them.

It cocked it's head to the side, like a curious dog.

For a moment the Droid ceased it's steps, as though it were trying to work out some sort of puzzle and needed to apply the logic of the situation. It understood what happened. It did not understand why.

"We mean you no harm." The droid repeated through the fire, and then turned away from the organics and began to move towards the Reactor core once again. It was clear that this station was coming apart at the seams, and now with the chaos of organics involved things would soon become worse.

For a second the droid seemed to pause, and then half turned again. "Our task will take us twelve minutes and thirty nine seconds."

It was the best warning the droid could give.

Scherezade deWinter | Jak Meridian

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Jak Meridian & IG-322

---

Twelve and a half minutes. That was the time they'd been granted before the whole graveyard went down. Would it be enough? Scherezade didn't know, but she clicked her datatool to count the next eight minutes. If she wasn't done by then, she was coming back to fight the metal and keep it from letting it sink so quickly.

And just like that, they were left alone behind, the droid having moved up while she remained with Jak, who said they'd find another way. "Eight minutes," she told him, motioning at her wrist, "after that, the droid becomes spare parts."

Turning around, Scherezade searched. To an onlooker, it would seem she was randomly moving, using her nose as the lead. But no. In that instant, she had turned her mind off to the more mundane senses, and was peeking through a layer of the Force, through the blood and the shadows, through anything and everything she could just to find it again, that pulse or beat that would let her know where her fragment was.

Eventually, the Sithling crouched down, resuming tod o the same but now with her hands flat against the cold floors, looking for that rhythm. Jak had seen her pull the same move earlier, but the entire sentiment and direction was different now as it wasn't a source of noise she was looking for, but…

"Found it," she murmured, with six minutes to go on her watch. Scherezade stood up and looked back towards the direction the droid had come from, "we move through the reactor room to the other side. That's where it is."

 

[Jak Meridian]

-

 

[IG-322]

The droid moved with ruthless efficiency.

It did not much care about the Organics, though It was sure they would at some point try to destroy It. The Droid was still not entirely sure why the beings were so adversarial, It had told them of It's plans. Living beings were strange things, often unwilling to directly communicate for their own purposes.

Perhaps it was IG-322 who needed to learn more. The Holovids had not focused on communication, most of them had centered around the breaking of fingers and taking of 'scores'. It was starting to become apparent that Ugluck had perhaps not shown the droid the best information to learn the Universe around it.

Nevertheless, the droid continued to step forward. Deciding to try another tactic from the Holovids, one presented often as folly. "We have no intention of standing in your way."

It once again made clear.

"The console We require is there." It pointed. "If you require more time, We can hold Our own actions until the stations inevitable collapse. Our only requirement is a sliver of Data."

A loud creak of metal echoed poignantly in the distance. "What is it you desire, Organic? Perhaps We can be of assistance."

Scherezade deWinter | Jak Meridian

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

IG-322 & Jak Meridian

---

Time passed. Minutes ticked by. Stuff happened. And they were in the reactor room again, with a lot less time left than Scherezade was comfortable with. She really didn't want to fight the droid. Fighting droids was bad, when her blades came against their metallic bodies it made that sound that sounded like nails down a blackboard and gave her the absolute ick.

But there might not be a choice that time.

She sighed.

Then Jak threatened in her name. Scherezade frowned. Normally, she didn't care about such things. She was, after all, the person to absolutely turn others into scrap if the situation called for it. And sometimes when the situation absolutely not called for it. But this time, she wasn't sure about what she wanted. Her momentary confusion showed on her face.

But then the droid was… Willing to work with them?

"Yes!" she almost screamed, "Please! I'm just looking for a fragment of a schematics… It pulses and draws attention but it's hard to precisely pin it down. I just know it's here somewhere and once I have it, you can do anything your droid-heart desires with the place."