The Foundry; Part 10

[Subject 37]

[member="Greta Kohler"]

Rigor stood before a ship, the starport before the droid buzzing with life and activity.

The droid was holding a small briefcase at it's side, it's odd facial glow being someone hazed by the odd smog within the air. The ship behind the droid was a Vanir Technologies Sliver, and oddly luxurious craft for the normally more practical droid. That was of course because of whom the droid was retrieving today, or rather, meeting. With the recent expansion and burst of growth of Vanir Technologies, as well as their new project, outside contractors had been brought in to fulfill more and more requirements.

Of course, Rigor, was sent along with those contractors, quite literally being able to go nearly anywhere at any time.

That was the benefit of his new systems, the ability to be in multiple places at once.

So when this particular contractor had been hired, knowing their inclinations and what the job would entail. Rigor had been sent with their fee as well as a more luxury craft to get them to where they needed to go. It was a nice touch by Vanir Technologies, one that the droid was assured would help with placating and pleasing the Sith that would be coming. Rigor had no experience with Sith, save for one very similar missions, however the droid held no prejudice.

It simply wanted the job done.

 

[Komo]

Pleasant surprise. Greta didn't get enough of those these days, but today was one of those. She was here in the starport, making her way to the assigned docking bay that her contact from Vanir Technologies would be in. She was hired by the above mentioned company to scout out whichever planetary locations the contact had in mind. The Sith hadn't been expecting a droid though. She was taken aback by several brief moments, before the reason and logic of the choice came to her. Of course, it had to be a droid. Greta had heard about their expansion and burst of growth that had required them to hire a vast number of contractors from a wide location of sources, and droids were more than suited to the task, especially one as skilled as these. That wasn't the pleasant surprise, however.

The subject in question lay in front of her, a luxury yacht so sleek and sharp it looked like a sword. The crimson-eyed Sith had been expecting a more militarised ship, a boring and uncomfortable ship that she was going to spend countless of hours in. That would not be good. This however, was.

Unknown if she would needing her armour or not, she had arrived not dressed in it, but had brought it along anyway, packed neatly in a durasteel case, carried by one of her personal guard. Dressed in charcoal black robes, Greta spoke. "My representative from Vanir Technologies, I presume? Now, that's a mighty fine ship. Shall we get started?"

[member="Rigor"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Greta Kohler"]

The droid began with a short bow.

Rigor had not often dealt with Sith or Jedi, but it had been programmed with according knowledge to doing so. There was no personal pride that got in the way or any such thing, it simply did as was customary when one dealt with people like Miss Kohler. After allowing half a second to pass Rigor once again pulled itself upright, the strange face plate glowing with pale orange circuitry as it scanned Greta and her personal guard. The droid ensured that they were indeed who they claimed, then spoke.

[Indeed] It's voice was robotic, monotone, and entirely even. [I will be escorting you on the mission and providing any assistance you might find necessary]

Rigor spoke quickly, offering a wave for Greta to board the ship.

Upon the Sliver they would find all the amenities one might find necessary. Comfortable acceleration couches, different furnishings, fully stocked refreshments, and even a few beds should rest be required. Of course the trip to the Rishi Maze would take a short while, but the Slivers advanced hyperdrive would see to that rather quickly. [Is there anything you require before we depart?]

 

[Komo]

A droid that actually bowed. Now, that wasn't something you see everyday. Impressive, Vanir, impressive indeed. Greta was no doubt impressed by the corporation who would be her employers for this very job. After what must have been an identity recognition scan as she felt the orange glow fell upon her person, the Sith sent her guard on the ship to deposit her belongings before coming back down. She would be attending to this mission alone, with just the droid for company.

Her guard would then join the rest guarding her ship docked at another one of these docking bays as they waited for her to return. Looking to her soon-to-be robotic companion she said, "I presume you are combat efficient? That would be highly unwise, otherwise." As the droid motioned for her to step on, she did.

Stepping on board the luxurious ship, she soon found equally opulent décor and furniture filling the interior. Greta didn't need to sit on them to know if they were actually comfortable or not. She had no doubt they were. I have to get one of these for myself. Taking a seat on extremely plush sofa, she said "I have no other questions except for one, where are we going?"

[member="Rigor"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Greta Kohler"]

Rigor followed the woman on board, almost instantly the ramp beginning to raise in place behind them. The Sliver sealed shut, and the engines began to rumble. Rigor had earlier interfaced with the ships computer, a series dark-net relays having synced the on-board navicomputer to Rigor's own systems. This allowed the droid limited, but enough control over the ship to activate basic functions, including piloting the craft in a rudimentary manner while not in the cockpit.

Fancy, but rather simple.

[Yes.] The droid confirmed. [This unit is prepared and readied for combat]

The galaxy was a dangerous place, especially where they were going. Uncharted territory it was called by most, the labyrinth and the maze. The difficulty was getting there, everything else was a simple hack and slash method of cutting through the debris of Raiders and Pirates. [We are headed to the Rishi Maze, Miss Kohler]

Rigor began to imitate more fanciful speech, copying mannerisms from a Protocol droid it had met previously.

 

[Komo]

It was good to know that the droid was capable of fighting as well, and when push came to shove, it wasn't just her that would be fighting. "What are you called, droid? It's best I learn your name, so I can stop calling you droid. No names had been exchanged between her contacts, and all she had learnt was that a representative would meet her." The droid had answered her earlier query about their intended location. The Rishi Maze. Greta knew next to nothing of the place, other than that it was uncharted territory, and would no doubt be fraught with danger. Judging from the name, the Sith knight presummed that the Rishi Maze had got something to do with the planet Rishi.

"What can you tell me about this Rishi Maze? To be honest, I've never heard about in in great detail, only in passing. I know next to nothing about this place." Her companion was a droid, and she had no doubt that he had this information stored somewhere in his databanks.

[member="Rigor"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Greta Kohler"]

The droid moved to the center of the room, placing the small briefcase on the table in front of it before slowly moving towards a holo-projector to it's left. The droid bent down and activates a small key. The machine whirred for half a moment, then activated to show an image of the Rishi Maze above it.

[My designation is Rigor] The name, of course, was a play on the term Rigor Mortis. The droid in front of Greta had once been a simple medical droid before slight alterations had caused it to go beyond its normal function. With recent upgrades and additions, Rigor had become more and more aware of itself, gaining knowledge more quickly and incorporating knowledge from other droids within itself. Rigor was now fully capable of a dozen tasks it could never even have thought about before, such as piloting the craft they were on.

[The Rishi Maze is a satellite galaxy to our own] Rigor began to explain. [No government holds sway there and much of its territory is unexplored. Vanir Technologies seeks to expand into the Rishi Maze due to its independence. However, Piracy and raiders are rampant within]

That was their issue of course, their mission. They were to scout a location for The Foundry then clear out whatever pirates might be there so Vanir could bring in it's fleet.

 

[Komo]

Rigor.

A play on the word Rigor Mortis. Smart, she thought to herself. "Well, nice to meet you Rigor. I have we have an enjoyable time working with one another." Then again, Greta knew that enjoyment was subjective, and Rigor was a droid. Could droids even feel enjoyment? Her thoughts were soon brought forward onto a map of a star system, the Rishi Maze. So this was the maze. An independent star system that holds no allegiance to anyone but itself. Now, this was interesting, there was clearly alot of room for potential there.

The Sith could now see why Vanir Technologies had picked this location for its expansion. After all, all it had to deal with was pirates and raiders, albeit an abundance of both. Greta feared no pirates or raiders. They were mostly untrained and undisciplined scum, and were no match for the likes of her. She was perfectly confident that she would be able to deal with any of them with question.

[member="Rigor"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Greta Kohler"]

The ship jumped to hyperspace with a smooth transition, no shaking of the vessel or anything of the sort occurring as the Sliver simply jumped towards the Rishi Maze.

The trip would take some time, but Rigor estimated that it would flow along nicely, the Sith being quite thoughtful in the way she approached Rigor himself.

[The trip will take Fifteen Hours] It would seem like a long time, but considering how far the Rishi Maze it had actually been cut significantly by the Slivers advanced hyperdrive. For Rigor, that time hardly meant anything. If the droid really wanted to it could shut down and simply start up once the time had elapsed. It wouldn't do that of course, fearing that the Sith would have a need or question that might need answering before they got there. [Is there anything else you require?]

Rigor had been instructed to make Greta comfortable.

That's what it would do.

 

[Komo]

Rigor had informed her that the journey would take fifteen hours. Now, that quite a fair bit of time she had here on her hands. Perhaps it was time to put the ships extravagant furniture to the test. Greta was sure somewhere in the quarters, was an equally opulent bed, just waiting to be laid on.

She may as well get some rest before the killing started, for once it started, it maybe quite difficult to stop, if she knew people like these. Pirates and raiders. Most of which fought with brawn of brain, and easy to anger. "Fifteen hours, It shouldn't be any problem that I take a nap first, should it? Might as well get rest while I can. I'll like to see how this bed feels like. There is a bed somewhere, isn't there?" One thing the Sith knight had a weakness for was the display of opulent furniture, for it ever seemed to call to her to lie upon them, to feel the luxury of its comfortable upholstery and sheets.

[member="Rigor"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Greta Kohler"]

Rigor perhaps would have smiled at that, though the droid was incapable of such displays of emotion. Instead it simply shifted it's gaze from Greta towards another section of the ship.

[There are three rooms present on-board the Sliver] Rigor began to quickly explain, seeking to provide the woman with the utmost comfort. [The master bedroom is located within the far back of the ship. You'll find the bed made and the room perfectly to your standards. I will alert you once we near our destination]

It would take some time, enough time for Greta to get all the rest and nourishment that she would need.

Their end goal was to be rather...harsh. Though Exploration was their stated mission, Rigor had received intelligence that it would be more than likely that they would be confronted throughout their explorations. Raiders and pirates would see this ship in particular as a target, though for Rigor that wasn't much of an issue. Pirates would be a neat source of information, and the more savage raiders could be dealt with outright.

 

[Komo]

Greta made her way to one of the rooms, a master bedroom at the far back of the ship. Upon entering the room, she was delighted to know that the room did indeed meet within her expectations. Decorated finely, with ample opulence, it was without any doubt that Vanir Technologies had spared no expenses when it came to considering the comfort and satisfaction of their guest. The Sith was glad. It was good to be appreciated for once. Sniffing, she made to remove her outer robes, discarding them on an adjacent couch nearby, before she proceeded to simply lie on the bed in her inner clothes. She trusted the droid would alert her once they neared their intended destination. Now, rest time.

Fifteen hours was a long time, and she spent seven hours of it sleeping away, before waking. In the time to follow, Greta would spend the remaining time, alternating between reading up on datapad, catching up with whateve- it-was that she needed to catch-up with and combat practice. There was hardly much else to do until they reached anyway.

[member="Rigor"]

 

[Subject 37]

[member="Greta Kohler"]

The trip went fast for Rigor, mostly because he went into standby mode for nearly all of it. Eventually however the Sliver came out of hyperspace, the Rishi Maze hanging before the viewports. There was an odd allure to it, a serene beauty. Rigor would give time for Greta to view it before knocking on her door to coax her from the cabin. Though the ride had been long, it was time to work, and the droid knew exactly where it was that they were heading.

[Madam Kohler] Rigor spoke. [Our destination is within fifteen minutes]

[We have detected several ships twenty thousand kilometers away, I believe they mean us ill-intent] That was of course the point of this, to fight and capture information from pirates, raiders, and half a dozen other sources. They were forward scouts, meant to find a suitable location for the Foundry itself.

What better means then to ask those who already roamed here?

 

[Komo]

The call for her came soon enough. A knock at the door by Rigor, the only companion she had on this voyage to the Rishi Maze. Within fifteen minutes he had said. Time had definitely passed alot quicker than she had expected. But that wasn't all. A warning of the sighting of several ships had also been detected in the distance, and their supposed intent was no where near good. They had to be pirates, raiders or some sort. Greta doubted that those ships would would let them pass unnoticed, after all their solitary luxury yacht looked extremely vulnerable when compared to the small fleet of ships that have been detected in the cluster. The Sith had no intention of running away either.

"Shall we prepare to engage them?" Greta asked, in case the droids had any better ideas that he could contribute to the table. Pirates and raiders like these were denizens of the maze, and who better than them to wrestle information from? The Sith knight would be more than glad to speak to these ruffians in the only language they knew, sooner than later.

[member="Rigor"]