Prince of the Underworld
B L A C K - S U N - S Y N D I C A T E
V A U L T - M E R I D I A N
- Intent: A Black Sun fortress in the Mara Corridor
- Image Credit: [HERE]
- Canon: n/a
- Permissions: n/a
- Links: n/a
- Military Base Name: Vault Meridian
- Classification: Fortress
- Location: Monastery
- Affiliation: Black Sun Syndicate
- Population: Heavy
- Demographics: Most of Vault Meridian's population are Black Sun foot soldiers and the enforcers who command them, but a sizable population of smugglers and black market moguls also reside within the fortress. Rarely, Monastery locals seek an audience with Black Sun Vigos, but they are not often invited to dwell within Vault Meridian's walls after their business is concluded.
- Accessibility: Approaching Vault Meridian without clearance from Black Sun's command spire is considered a death sentence. The fortress serves as Black Sun's headquarters in the region, and as such is heavily defended. Communications from Command Spire Theta attempt to identify unknown signatures in the area, either designating them as guests or threats. Friendly inbound ships can land in the drydocks or on exterior landing pads, while foot traffic must come through a security checkpoint guarded by Black Sun mercenaries. At the train depot, security elements scan trains upon arrival for signs of organic life or undeclared droids.
- Description: Vault Meridian was not built by Black Sun, but that's never stopped the syndicate from enjoying free real estate. Originally a CIS military installation, Vault Meridian was abandoned following the Confederacy's collapse and eventual absconding to the Shirayan Expanse. The fortress takes advantage of Monastery's mountainous jungle terrain, benefitting from dense vegetation, natural defenses, and its remote location. Vault Meridian serves as Black Sun's nexus in the Mara Corridor from which a buffet of contraband, weapons, and illegal technology is served to the western Outer Rim.
- Barracks 09-B: Known as "Rattler's Den" thanks to deteriorated ventilation systems, Barracks 09-B is a section set aside for guests and visitors to Vault Meridian. Traveling merchants, artifact smugglers, and associates of Black Sun are permitted to put up their boots here, where they will find basic amenities. Beds, modest food, and the grade of supplies one would find in a general store or military commissary are available.
- Command Spire Theta: This defunct CIS command tower juts from the mountainside, affording Black Sun an unbroken view of Monastery's highlands and the magnatram approach. The syndicate converted the spire from a droid control tower to a dangerous vantage point. Armed with long-range blaster turrets, signal-jammers, and a probe droid bay, Black Sun has plenty of notice before enemy forces are at their gates.
- Core Trench: At the center of Vault Meridian is a near-bottomless vertical shaft that hums with the reawakened energy of a Confederate power core. Local engineers and slicers worked tirelessly to restore the old core to operational status, and now that they have, the fissure pulses with energy that powers the entire fortress. Against the engineers' advice, Black Sun Vigos often use the core trench as an intimidation tactic, threatening to throw prisoners, traitors, and moles into the chasm.
- Droid Foundry: Once used to produce droid components and blasters, this industrial floor is now used as a chop shop specializing in droid refurbishment and starship stripping. A resident bombmaker on Black Sun's payroll uses some of the antiquated equipment to produce grenades and other explosives for the syndicate.
- Drydock Vaults: Many of Vault Meridian's hangar bays have been sectioned off and sealed by bulkhead doors and force field layers. Within these newly created vaults, Black Sun hoards massive relics such as Confederate starships, Jedi artifacts, and valuable salvage smuggled in from across the Outer Rim. Occasionally, Force-sensitive prisoners are held within the vaults, forced to dwell in the dark, surrounded by relics that define their orders.
- Sublevel D-13: When the Confederacy abandoned their facilities, they left behind thousands of unused battle droids and blaster rifles. On Sublevel D-13, the lifeless chasses of rusted B1 and B2 battle droids hang on racks, decaying from decades exposure to Monastery's humid atmosphere after Vault Meridian's life support systems failed. Though Black Sun restored the fortress to habitability, it was far too late for these droids to be enlisted in the syndicate's ranks; instead, scavengers descend to the sublevels to strip the droids for parts, coining D-13 the "Droid Morgue." Rumors make their way through Vault Meridian once in awhile, claiming that rogue droids flicker to life in the dark sublevels... but pirates are always full of tall tales, right?
- Train Depot: Monastery has several magnatram hubs across the surface, many of which eventually converge at Vault Meridian's train depot. All manner of resources, be they illegal contraband or simple ore shipments, run through the depot, where they are unloaded and taken to the drydock vaults for sorting and off-world shipping.
High. Black Sun has installed sensor arrays, automated defenses, and guard posts to deter intrusions. Key areas are locked down, accessible only via keycards or brute-force entry. Turbolasers around the perimeter protect it from aerial or armored assault. Probe droids deployed from Command Spire Theta patrol the perimeter, raising alarms should intruders be detected. A combination of blast doors and force fields secure the drydocks. C4-10 Mobile Shield Generator Walkers stationed around the fortress further protect its entry points.
- Autoturrets
- Black Sun Guard units
- Blast doors
- C4-10 Mobile Shield Generator Walkers
- Force fields
- Keycard scanners
- Mercenary patrols
- Probe droid patrols
- Sensor arrays
- Turbolasers
When Black Sun first emerged in the Mara Corridor, it looked no further than Monastery for a suitable location to establish a regional compound from which they could oversee the syndicate's operations in neighboring systems. Scouts located the hollow shell of Vault Meridian, a veritable duracrete tomb left untouched since the fall of the Confederacy. Despite the CIS' resurgence on Rothana to the south, Vault Meridian was a rotting relic of a bygone era just waiting to have new life breathed into its rusted lungs.
It did not take long for Black Sun to restore it to its former glory, with new banners and a less-than-honest purpose.
Level by level, workers cleared antiquated machinery and defunct battle droids. Wings of the fortress that had been blocked off by debris were opened and reinforced, expanding the base's capacity for crew and guards. New security measures were installed alongside Vault Meridian's original defense grid, securing it against external threats. New blast doors were installed and bolstered by force field generators. Probe droid bays were installed in Command Spire Theta, expanding Vault Meridian's threat detection range and patrol reliability.
Since occupying it, Vault Meridian has stood as a symbol of Black Sun's influence in the Mara Corridor. It is commanded by Avra Dokaar, a dangerous Vigo with a network of smugglers and informants throughout the region. Vault Meridian is the nexus for dozens of illegal operations, including smuggling, gunrunning, spicing, mining, and salvaging. In 900 ABY, the fortress became the primary hub for a massive magnatram network stretching across Monastery's jungles where stolen artifacts and local resources are pooled for sorting before being shipped off-world.
