Imprisoned (Follow-up to Yag'dhul)

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The Architect fleet had jumped out of the system. Rook had felt it in the slight shifting of the vessel just moments ago. The comms went shortly thereafter. The truth was both inarguable and terrifying: his team was trapped aboard the Harvest ship.

The Givin are all filed into the single entrance across the room. It seemed Spark had gone off to in order to do...something. Rook was not entirely sure, and now there was no way to make contact. Even the TACCOM system was out of commission. They were flying blind in enemy territory.

"I think Spark went through those doors," he sighed, "We should too. Just keep your guard up. There's no telling what's waiting for us."

Rook moved to take a step forward. He made it about halfway across the room when an intercom clicked.

"Welcome aboard my ship, primitives. If you'll please set your weapons on the floor."

Rook kept walking.

"Or you can be difficult. Zero-eight, it is good to see you return to the fold, and is that...oh, another Mark One, and a Mark Two, how exciting."

He made it to the door.

"A Twi'lek? Jedi as well? She'll certainly be interesting. The breeders have so few near humans, and this one looks to be quite exotic. The Bulwarks will love her -- oh, and that one is...force dead as well? Not of our make. I'll need to see that one personally."

Rook stepped through the door. Something on the side of the wall clicked. Veins of electricity spread over his armor, locking it up completely. Another moment and it pierced through. There was a second of agony, and then nothing. The Commander had blacked out.

The artificial lightning storm spread throughout the room, looking to pierce armor and flesh, leaving the alliance members unconscious.

[member="Qyren Leret"], [member="Ylvaris Desman"], [member="Spark Finn"], [member="Kix Tal'Verda"], [member="Ijaat Akun"],

 

[Qyren Leret]

[member="Rook"], [member="Ylvaris Desman"], [member="Spark Finn"], [member="Kix Tal'Verda"], [member="Ijaat Akun"]

The blonde head of hair disappeared and Qyren blinked, casting about for her among the Givin, but it was hopeless. No sign of where she had gone. As the crowds thinned, Qyren moved to meet up with Rook as he started his trek across the room, her eyes on the retreating rows of Givin. She understood their passivity given the circumstances; at least it would keep them out of the way.

I only hope we stop this before-- Qyren glanced up at the sound of the Monitor's voice, her steps hesitating, before she darted her gaze to Rook. When he kept walking, she followed suit, feeling the unsettling prediction of impending combat settle over her skin. Her hand hovered by her lightsaber and her steps were as sure as Rook's, but a shiver of revulsion ran over her. Breeder.

The click as Rook stepped through the door snapped Qyren out of her reverie; before it really processed, her lightsaber was arcing up to catch the lightning that suddenly rained down around them.

Alex! The panicked thought flitted across her mind as she watched his armor wreathed in electricity, but her own survival was more pressing at the moment. Unlike the armored men around her, the lightsaber was Qyren's only defense, and it was a stop gap measure that lasted moments; when the first bolts caught her from behind and rolled along her nerves, Qyren screamed in agony before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed.

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The fight was not going well, Tiburon Ground Team hadn’t checked in and Coren and the pilots were only able to do so much. Lexi, the simulated intelligence on the ShortFin was trying to raise the away team, but to no success. “Tighten up, Tib Two.” The Commander ordered as he pulled his gunship through a move that couldn’t be matched by a conventional X-Wing, the way it thrust pushed through a few gs at Coren, but with the frictionless space, it was easier to handle.

Pushing the throttle when the X-Wing came around, Coren nodded. “We’re going in close, get a good pass on them, signal our people.” He pushed the SLAM engines and sacrificed his stealth as one of the dreadnoughts ignited.

“Sir, the fleet is on the move.” Lexi came across to Coren on the intercom.

“It’s fine, target the hyperdrive.” He switched to the remaining cluster missiles and looked up, waiting for the good tone and range to open up. His eyes were squinting and he fired when it turned from green to red.

Two missiles away, splitting into 16, and all heading for the same point.

Coren started to pull the gunship up when they got within a half of a kilometer, and at that point, the ship was gone.

“What? Lexi! Track them!”

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Rook"] [member="Coren Starchaser"] [member="Qyren Leret"]

She expected Rook and his team to follow the map she just uploaded onto his comm device of the Harvest ship. She expected a quick and easy data-pull from the control room. She expected that they could take over the ship or at least....get out.

#allexpectationswereblown #thingswenthorriblywrong

There were familiar screams behind her. One familiar scream. Rook #Rookster #Armory #Coren'sandmybrosef

Her techno-mechu-deru connection to the Harvest ship wavered as did the white current that shrouded her bony-form as a searing pain launched into her skull. If the ship could hack back into the slicer's head, that's what she would describe the feeling as. Speckled-face turned in time to see the butt end of a rifle swinging toward the side of her skull.

CRACK

#anewkindofheadache

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Ijaat was disoriented to be sure, and as Rook stepped, he watched the lightning come towards him. There wasn't a way for him to absorb it, or dodge it... But his suit was hardened and had surprises to deal with such things. So, he shut down everything, gulped a huge breath of air, and waited... The pain was intense in the feedback loops of his armor he had to leave open, and his vision swam from lack of oxygen. But he persisted and hung on, and finally won through just as he collapsed to one knee, his rifle clattering to the floor of the ship as he dropped it and hit one knee, just barely catching himself with an armored gauntlet and maintaining some sort of crouch.

Armor systems flickered and flared, washing out his HUD in static and effectively blinding him as Geoff screamed in rage inside his head. Eventually, he let the beast out, and the Intelligence swiftly began re-routing systems in his armor, redoubting and bypassing at a speed Ijaat gave up following. Humming would emit from the armor externally, and on occasion the eye-pieces would flicker and flare fitfully and then die, and smoke streamed from servos as they tried to boot up.

 

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Those that found themselves debiliated would awaken in a lab. The Architects were busying themselves all around them, running tests, recording data, mixing chemicals. Servitors stood at either of the two doors armed with Disruptors. Their armor, weapons, and various articles of clothing were stacked in the corner of the room. These had been exchanged for simply undergarments. Those who were force-dead were pinned to work tables by durasteel cuffs. The force sensitives would find themselves in a similar position, with long pencil markings drawn against their veins.

Rook blinked in surprise. It took him a moment to regain his bearings. The Architects were not paying much attention to those tied to the tables, and Rook took the opprotunity to struggle against his bindings. Unfortunately, not even he could break durasteel. Not yet.

"What do you want!?" Rook spat as he leaned up against the cuff. One of the Architects turned to face him, this one far larger than the others.

"Zero-eight, how good of you to come. I see you've brought friends." The Monitor made a mechanical chuckling noise. "Welcome aboard the Ge'hutuun. You're all quite lucky -- my subordinates wanted to melt you down to create more servitors. Fortunately for you, I believe you lot have more worth than the Givin."

The archaic cyborg-droid-amalgamation strolled through the lab, staring down at each of his captives as he passed. "The errant Dreadguard will be reprogrammed. The blonde female will make excellent cloning stock for our newer programs. The unknown force dead individual and the Twi'lek will be used for breeding purposes."

He paused.

"That should answer most of your possible questions, the lot of you. As for the Givin, as I've said, they will become Servitors. Struggling will result in suffering, both for yourself and for your friends. Your alliance is not coming. Accept your fate, primitives."

[member="Qyren Leret"], [member="Kix Tal'Verda"], [member="Ylvaris Desman"], [member="Spark Finn"], [member="Ijaat Akun"]

 

[Qyren Leret]

She came to awareness with Alex's voice in her ears, but it took moments to process language and what was being said. Her whole body ached and it made thought difficult.

Electrocuted, she reminded herself and let her eyes drift open. Something was speaking, but as she rolled her insensate gaze toward it, the visage that presented itself was no sentient she had ever seen.

Revulsion shivered along Qyren's body again at the detached, simplistic way the mechanical monstrosity commented on her fate and the fates of those around her. A breeder, destined to die contributing children to a pool of enslaved monstrosities.

No.

It was that simple. No. She could have tried to attack him from her position, but she knew it would just result in pain and unconsciousness for her. Instead, the woman averted her gaze as one subjugated and let her mind turn over her options. She could break the cuffs, but they felt like durasteel, which would take time. Did she have that kind of time? Her lightsaber would have been more appropriate. Where was it? She didn't dare look directly with the overseer still in the room, but if she could get it, she might be able to do... something. Her wrist twisted against the cuff that held it down. Tight and narrow; a misgrab, a misswipe, and she would take part of herself with cuff. Still...

Her eyes flicked to Alex, stripped of his armor, face twisted in rage. If he hadn't been restrained, she could imagine he would have attacked the overseer with his bare hands. The movement of her gaze was drawn to the guards by the nearest door and her eyes flicked between them before shuttling quickly around the room. Two disruptors on the guards, clothes and possessions off to the side. Her lightsaber was there, as were the weapons of the others who had been taken. The blaster. Rook's blaster. She dropped her gaze away again. With a clear shot or even her telekinesis, she might be able to get rid of the guards, but they would still be trapped, and she would likely be dead.

The plan forming in her mind was still disjointed and fighting to find the linchpin that would set it all in place. She only needed one hand to be free-- or extremely good concentration to get her telekinesis focused enough to take on multiple targets at once. And she would need to get everyone in the room if it were going to be a help.

Her eyes flicked to the bed containing Spark and then on down the aisle. Was anyone missing?

[member="Rook"] [member="Ijaat Akun"] [member="Spark Finn"] [member="Ylvaris Desman"]

 

[Kix Tal'Verda]

Electricty was never particularly fun. Especially when it left you unconscious and you came to clad in durasteel cuffs...

Kix's eyes trailed about the room to observe his comrade [member="Rook"] who was stripped of any gear he had on. It didn't take Kix long to realize he too was without his prized Katarn armor. Not a good place to be. His brown eyes continued to make their way around to note [member="Qyren Leret"], the di'kutla Jedi who should have stayed away for her own good, and [member="Ijaat Akun"], some random Alliance Soldier. It seemed their inflitration mission had gone horribly awry. All Kix could think to do was find some means of exflitration now...

He quickly went to tactical plans and brooded on those for several long seconds before the words 'errant Dreadguard' and 'reprogrammed' were brought up by the mechanical husk surveying them. Kix's eyes snapped tight to it. It was the being he had been searching for for all these years. It was the same being Calico had described to Kix a hundred times over... It was an actual Architect. The clone couldn't help but feel white hot rage boil under his skin, every one of his thoughts and senses in utter revolt. With all the strength in his wounded body, he tugged against the chains with every muscle in his body and gave a deep roar of utter hate. It was probably a good thing that he wasn't a force user.

"You karking tin-can! Tell me where Calico is, now! Or I'm going to reprogram you and use you as a latrine droid. Do you hear me you shabala piece of slag. I'm going to rip you into pieces and make your optical sensors watch as I burn everything you've worked for!"

 

[Spark Finn]

The blond-technopath kept her cerulean eyes closed even as she pushed through the veil of unconsciousness. She heard @Rook. She heard someone else. She heard a plan. And she heard a lot of yelling from [member="Kix Tal'Verda"]. Where was [member="Ijaat Akun"]?

Several things she realized at once: her converse were gone, her skinny jeans were gone, her converse were gone, wrists were in cuffs, and her converse were gone!!!! And something about cloning stock and breeding and programming.

#fethno

A huge goose-egg decorated the side of her temple. She remained unmoving, eyes closed, jaw slack as she tentatively stretched her senses forward. She felt everything tech in the room. The cuffs. The architect. The weapons in the corner. The comms.

Lightsaber?

Interesting. Must be [member="Qyren Leret"]. No time like getting captured than to make new friends. Soon the slicer would make her move. The opening in the force would come just like the opening she felt in codes when hacking.

Without moving, the cuffs around Qyren loosened just slightly. Just enough so the twilek knew she wasn't alone. Wasn't the only force user in the room.

#soon

[member="Coren Starchaser"] will kill me if this doesn't go right.

 

[Julius Sedaire]

Tensing, Ijaat rolled his shoulders as focus came to him. There was no Force for him to tap into, no hidden power to use really, so his eyes opened and he blatantly looked around. His anger, and violence, were restrained for the moment, buried and hidden. There was a burning ache at his temples, and it took all he had to keep the ravening awareness that was Geoff at bay, to not rend the bonds which held him and try to slaughter everything in the room. Prudence was needed here, caution and forethought. Nothing would go well if everything was done by impulse and anger.

Counting his allies, he nodded, and fidgeting his fingers, he felt the braces restraining him. Smooth metal, almost flawless, of some alloy he didn't quite recognize, not terribly strong, very similar to duasteel, but with something else wrong to it, possibly a by product of the Architects. Either way, there was a potential here... The bracers were connected to automation that allowed them to be controlled from a remote terminal near the Monitor. And that in turn was hooked up to the greater network of the ship.

Perhaps, if he moved very slowly, he could access the ship mainframe and shut it down, disable it, or cause some sort of catastrophe. And so he grimaced a bit as his fingers made contact with the bracer like manacles again. His ooglith began to work, sending his mind forward and into the spiraling transverse that was the bizzare connections of these creatures networks. Spark, with her bizzare Force powers, might have even noticed it.

The first thing he did was to unlock everyone from their tables. Hopefully the ensuing Chaos would give him time...His mind then began to fly along the connections, seeking the heart of the ship, the command center, the brain, if you will... But the organization of the ship was so alien to his human perspective that what he encountered was something that made even the maniacal ranting of Geoff stop, the quiet voice in his head exclaiming that what he had encountered was more, and less, than what he had sought. This presence was a compendium, an archive, a literal brain that stored almost a sum total of revelatory information on the Architects.

Without thought, perhaps prompted by Geoff exerting control as well, Ijaat opened his mind to the presence and heedlessly began to copy the massive contents of the mind he had encountered. The speed at which the transfer occured was such any looking on would think he was having a mild seizure almost, shaking and tremoring, a bead of foam at the corner of his mouth and a faint trickle of blood from his nose. But the more he absorbed, the more he seemed to grow frantic with the need to copy, and so his frenzy went. For all intents and purposes he was just a glitch in the system, nigh unreadable, and certainly not malicious.

[member="Kix Tal'Verda"] | [member="Rook"] | [member="Spark Finn"] | [member="Qyren Leret"] | [member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Qyren Leret]

In the middle of trying to determine a way to get done what needed to be done, Qyren felt her durasteel cuffs loosen. She studiously did not look at them, instead letting her mind skim down the list of those in the room as her eyes focused on the blank expanse of ceiling above her. Of the group, most were Force Dead soldiers. Spark. It had to be Spark. Again, Qyren kept her eyes away from the woman, only allowing her peripheral to confirm that the blonde was still pretending to be unconscious. The rush of Qyren's thoughts slowed as she relaxed, exhaling a long breath. Spark was able to release their bonds, which put the advantage back in their hands.

Qyren's head turned, and her eyes went to Alex briefly. Things were about to become chaotic.

Be ready, she prayed, just as her bindings fully unlocked themselves. She jerked upright, ripping her wrists from the now-unlocked cuffs, and extended her arms toward the pile of gear across the room. As the guards brought their weapons up to quell the impending rebellion, whatever weapons were in the pile flew across the intervening space toward the prisoners. Qyren's lightsaber flew into her hand and the burning blue of the blade cut the air, narrowly deflecting the bolts aimed at her back at their sources. The other weapons landed where they would, but always close to the medical tables holding Qyren's companions captive. She hadn't the time to make sure they wound up in the proper hands when everyone seemed to move at once, couldn't call out warning when it would distract them, but it might allow them some benefit at least if they were able to reach them.

The electric glow of her lightsaber lit Qyren's face and reflected in her eyes, emphasizing the solemn determination in her expression and giving her an almost demoniac glow. Her long, bare legs swung from the table after small jerks of her ankles released them from their bonds, her lightsaber continuing its defense, and she slid down to settle the soles of her feet on the cold metal floor. The guard droids were split between the Force user and the Dreadguard, and Qyren took the advantage offered her. Still deflecting incoming fire, Qyren wrapped the Force around the pair and yanked them forward, sending them crashing into one of the Architect stations. Vials and other equipment scattered across the floor as Qyren darted forward. She dodged around one of the unarmored Dreadguard, going behind him so as not to impede his progress. Her blade cut through the first Architect in her way; the chemicals he was holding spilling onto her and the floor. Ignoring the feeling, she Force pushed another Architect aside as it attempted to restrain her and spun about to behead it.

Her goal, however, was the guard droids, who were still equipped with blasters. The Architects had no distance weapons she was aware of; her mind classified them as "secondary problem, could be left to Dreadguard".

[member="Kix Tal'Verda"] | [member="Rook"] | [member="Spark Finn"] | [member="Ijaat Akun"] | [member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

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The cuffs made a quiet click as they unlocked.

A bellowing roar tore itself from the back of Rook's throat as he surged up to his feet. Qyren's display had given the guards a sufficient distraction. Rather than fire at Rook, they focused on the one they knew as a Jedi. The soldier shoulder charged one of the guards, wrapped his arms around his midriff, lifted him into the air, and slammed him down onto the floor. The effort made the guard pause as his internal systems tried to evaluate the damage, and Rook used that moment to twist its head clean off. The decaying flesh and supplementary metal was far less durable and true skin and bone. The head came off with a loud pop and a spray of black fluid.

It was then that he turned his attentions toward the Monitor and his fellows.

"Unexpected. Good show!" The monster cheered. "As for...Calico. That one is obsolete. Do not chase it." Just as it spoke, a massive wall fell between the Architects and their captives. It blocked the glorified droids from escape, and gave Rook's group access to the tunnels leading outward, but the Architects were safe.

And the Monitor was still laughing.

"If you have the will, then leave. There is a gunship in the hangers. It will take you back to Sullust -- if you can fight your way through the Servitors."

Rook blinked. Why in Corellia's nine hells would the Architects allow them to go free? He had no answer other than the possibility this might be a test. Be that as it may, he still had no intention of waiting.

Covered in the servitor's black blood, Rook made his way over to [member="Qyren Leret"].

"You're quite the fighter now, aren't you sweetheart?" He chuckled, and turned toward the others. "Grab your gear, and your clothes. I don't know how the alliance would feel if we all returned in our undergarments."

Coren would have some thoughts.

[member="Kix Tal'Verda"], [member="Ijaat Akun"], [member="Spark Finn"],

 

[Spark Finn]

[member="Kix Tal'Verda"] [member="Rook"] [member="Qyren Leret"] [member="Ijaat Akun"]

Eyes shot open in surprise as she felt Ijaat make his move. #Verysmooth. Invisible, protective force bubble was up and around their group as they moved in the chaos. It was more a precaution than a necessity. Seemed like Qyren and the others could handle themselves. Bare-feet hit the cold floor as the wall dropped.

The slicer remained tight-lipped as the Architect spoke. She could jump into their minds. She could raise the 'safety' wall that separated them. But she didn't. Hopping on one foot, she shrugged on her skinny jeans and converse, speckled-gaze focusing on Ijaat. "You. Me. We gotta talk after this. Very unique thing you just did." She gave a nod to Rook and Qyren.

"Coren would punch you in the face, Rookster." She waited for the others to gather their belongings/change. The protective force bubble went back up. Qyren might be able to sense it.

"I got you guys covered."

Before they left the room, her mind reached forward through the force and turned off the anti-grav systems on the other side of the wall with the architects. #eatthat The little bit of chaos might be a good distraction as they headed in to navigate through the bowls of the ship.

 

[Qyren Leret]

With a thoughtless, quick twist of her hand, one guard's gun was crushed; in the next moment, as Alex crashed into the other recovering droid, her target's body was flung across the room and crushed against the wall. She pushed extra pressure on it, watching its orifices begin to leak black fluid before the resistance gave and a gush of fluids flowed from those same openings. Qyren let the body fall to the floor.

Alex's quick handling of the other recovering guard droid negated Qyren's need to see to it; sudden realization hit her, and she turned abruptly, bringing her lightsaber into a defensive stance before her, only to find that the remainder of the Architects had retreated rather than continue their attempts to capture them. Front and center in the group was the Monitor, mocking them with his easy dismissal of their escape. While he spoke, Qyren kept her eyes on him and her awareness wide open to prepare her for any potential sneak attacks. What she wasn't expecting was the wall that dropped between them, and she jumped slightly. Her eyes scanned the length of it but found no potential chinks into which they could focus their energies.

Why is he letting us go? Her mind whispered that it was a trap, but what choice did they have? They could fight their way out and leave, or stand here and stare at the Architects through a potentially impenetrable wall. Most certainly they would be monitored so that their skills could be recorded. Qyren slowly lowered her lightsaber, debating the wisdom of trying to cut through and deciding there was no harm in trying. She pointed the blade at the wall and slowly pushed; sparks sprang from the contact, increasing as she tried to force it through, but she could tell it hadn't done much more than leave a burn mark once she lowered it. It would take far too long to make any kind of dent. She deactivated her lightsaber, staring at the Monitor for a moment, thoughts swirling, and then turned her back on him, adjusting from direct confrontation to the new situation at hand. Not being able to see the creatures helped, as did Alex's mostly nude, gruesomely coated form coming her way.

Though she remembered how he had wound up in this condition, Qyren blinked. His comment, easygoing despite the tense situation and completed with an endearment, brought a sincere, albeit quick, smile to her face before he turned to give orders to the others on his team. Her state of undress didn't particularly bother her since everything important was covered, but it was a valid point. At some point, black had splattered across her, not to mention whatever chemicals had spilled on her. Rather than waste more energy on summoning her clothes to her, Qyren walked over like everyone else did, stopping to pick up the beat-up blaster she had rescued on Yag'dhul. She set both down beside her clothing as she dipped to sort through the neatly stacked items. Retrieving her over-dress, she grabbed the sleeve with blaster burns and used her lightsaber to remove the offending piece. She took the other sleeve from the dress as well.

"Commander," she called, throwing the balled up cloth (with a bit of Force help given the lightweight material) over to where he was standing. It wouldn't help much, but it might at least get some of the excess off of him.

She used her other sleeve as a rag to wipe what fluids she could from her own body before dressing with alacrity. The dirty cloth was abandoned; she quickly drew on her leggings and then her tunic, belt and boots, keeping her back to Alex and the room at large as she did so. Sparky's voice drew her attention, and she realized that Ijaat was still lying on the table, unresponsive to her commentary.

"Commander Rook," she addressed, her gaze likely enough to draw Rook's attention.

[SIZE=11pt][member="Rook"] [member="Spark Finn"] [member="Ijaat Akun"] [member="Kix Tal'Verda"][/SIZE]