Private Shifting Sands

[Persephone Dashiell]

Persephone listened to the entire explanation of how and why something like this could be sealed. It was more than what she suspected, which was merely sealing away a poisonous product so no others could unleash it on the galaxy. Liin Terallo spoke of terrors that were potentially waiting for them on the other side. Locked away to not be found.

Perhaps the reason the laboratory was abandoned in the first place.

Not something she encountered often in archaeology. No, it was more a seal to keep people out from looting, not for protection of those who may stumble across.

"So, do I continue cutting or do we go another route?"

Stepping back a moment, the teenager regarded the structure they were trying to break in to. She had an idea where two different scenarios were running in her head.

"We can either break open the front door and get Zee in here. He can do this for us while we safely wait. Or I can use the plasma cutter and cut a window so we may peer inside. Or maybe a combination of both ideas."

Persie paused and shrugged.

"Its your call, I'm not the expert."

 

[Liin Terallo]

Liin studied the sealed entrance for a long moment after Persephone spoke. Not the structure as a whole. Not the canyon. Not even the practical problem of entry. Just the seam. The place where intent had been layered over intent until it became difficult to tell what had originally been built and what had been imposed afterward.

At length, she exhaled softly through her nose. “You are correct,” she said quietly. “You are not the expert.” There was no sting in her words that she was using. Only an acknowledgment. Her gaze shifted briefly toward Persephone, then back to the plasma cutter, still humming faintly in the younger woman’s hands. “But neither am I,” Liin admitted. That, more than anything, seemed important to her.

She stepped closer to the sealed doorway again, lowering herself slightly to study the junction where the older stone met the newer reinforcement layers. Her fingers hovered just above the surface without touching it this time. “Breaking it open is the most direct option,” she said after a moment. “Which does not make it the safest.” Her eyes narrowed faintly as she followed a faint irregularity along the edge of the seal. “And caution is not the same as avoidance.”

A brief silence settled between them, filled only by the low hiss of the cutter cooling. Finally, Liin straightened. “We do not know whether this was sealed to contain contamination,” she said. “Or to prevent interference.” Her gaze flicked toward the corridor behind them, then back again. “And we do not know whether whatever is inside has remained stable.” That, more than anything else, seemed to guide her decision.

“Cut a window,” she said at last. Calmly. “Small. Controlled. Enough to observe without committing fully to entry. And have Zee ready,” she added. “If something inside reacts poorly to observation, I would prefer to have an immediate exit that does not involve improvisation.”

Her attention returned briefly to Persephone. Not in an unkind way. Not uncertain. Just steady. “If there is a combination of both ideas,” she finished, “it should be the one that reduces the number of surprises we are exposed to at the same time.”

Tag: Persephone Dashiell

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

"Understood."

Unlike her journey with the Jedi, especially Colette , it was nice to work with another without an ego trip. A sharing of ideas. Someone who maybe didn't see her on equal footing but at least took her life experiences and thoughts into account. It made for less friction and an easier time in getting things completed. As it stood she would have to go back to that library on her own to finish doing what she needed to research.

Setting down her tools for a moment, she quickly messaged Zee.

[ Miss Terallo wants you on standby. I know the door is blocked out front, any progress? ]

[ Half way through clearing it Miss Persephone. Another ten minutes and I believe I can cut through the hinges. ]

[ Alright, we are still in the main chamber. ]

Putting away her datapad, she looked to Liin Terallo .

"Zee is halfway through clearing the door then will cut through the hinges. I am going to start cutting that small window. It should take me some time as this is all new. If anything is amiss we should hit the door just as Zee is cutting his way in. Going to cut that window again."

Picking up her equipment, Persephone started the plasma torch once more, beginning to cut a small window at face level so she and Liin could peer inside.

 

[Liin Terallo]

Liin gave a small nod as Persephone relayed Zee's progress. "That should give us enough time," she said quietly. There was something reassuring about knowing they had another route available if circumstances deteriorated unexpectedly. Scientists often worked under the assumption that experiments would eventually surprise them. The important part was ensuring that those surprises remained survivable.

She stepped back to give Persephone room to work. The steady hiss of the plasma torch soon filled the chamber once more, accompanied by the occasional shower of orange sparks that bounced harmlessly across the ancient stone floor before fading into darkness. Liin watched in silence, more interested in the material itself than in the cutting process. Whatever had sealed this entrance had been intended to last. Years. Perhaps centuries.

She found herself wondering who had stood here last. Who had decided that whatever lay beyond this wall should remain unseen. And whether they had believed they were protecting the galaxy or protecting whatever remained inside.

The final section of metal surrendered with a dull metallic click. The small square shifted inward only slightly before catching against something beyond.

Liin instinctively raised a hand. "Careful." She waited. Nothing happened. There were no alarms. There was no movement. And no rush of contaminated air, either. Only silence.

Slowly, she stepped closer, stopping just short of the opening. The beam from her glowrod slipped through the narrow aperture first, sweeping carefully across the darkness beyond before she allowed herself to look inside. For several moments she said nothing. She simply observed. Her eyes moved deliberately from one detail to the next, resisting every temptation to focus on whatever first caught her attention. Entrances. Structural supports. Dust accumulation. Signs of collapse. Evidence of recent disturbance. Anything that suggested the chamber had not remained untouched since it had been sealed.

"If anything is still active," she murmured, almost to herself, "it has had a very long time to wait." Her voice remained calm, though noticeably quieter now. She glanced briefly toward Persephone. "I don't see any immediate movement." Not yet. Returning her attention to the opening, she leaned just enough to improve her angle without placing any part of herself beyond the wall. "Let's learn everything we can from here before we decide whether to open the door." The words were less an instruction than a reminder. Afterall, there was no prize for being first into an unknown room. Only consequences for entering it too quickly.

Tag: Persephone Dashiell