What a Piece of Junk

[Taeli Raaf]

​

Lydrax
Albanin Sector

Multiple hyperspace reversions broke the haunted silence of space around the world of Lydrax. Several frigates formed up around a cruiser, Taeli standing on the bridge as she looked at the ruined planet in the distance. A few lights flickered in the distance, indicative of a freighter possibly landing or taking off from the one port on the poisoned junk world. Taeli had high hopes to change all of that.

The planet had come to her attention from the loose lips of a captain in a cantina on Erilnar, talking about some salvage he had recovered from a world near Makeb. Taeli had subsequently done some research on this world, discovering its history and the colony that had been attempting to eke out a living on the world. She hadn't been too surprised that it was the Hutts that were responsible for the devastation visited upon the planet's entire ecosystem... but she had not been prepared for how bad it actually was. Initial scans had been done by one of Aurora's stealth ships, sent on a scouting mission to see how often freighters arrived and departed the world... and to see what the environment was.

The thousand of years had not been kind. Much of the water sources on the world had been reduced to pools of toxic waste, rivers of super acids. The atmosphere was so deadly to breathe that it required a full environment suit just to even step foot outside the colony of Poliard. She highly suspected that whatever atmospheric processor the colony had purchased was not enough to keep with demand, considering the chemical make-up of the world's biosphere. The latest scans only confirmed to her the scout report, a world covered in mountains of junk and waste... the perfect world for Aurora's Project Starbright.

The idea had come to her slowly, over several years. Planets, such as this, that had been utterly devastated by the excesses of the galaxy and its trash, that could be rehabilitated. Some would call it a purely alturistic pursuit, much like the projects ATC and Vanir had been running in other parts of the galaxy. Taeli had other motives though. This planet would be a testing ground, something her company would essentially rule. The only thing standing in the way would likely be the scavengers that had moved here a year ago to salvage what they could.

The Sith in her was tempted to just orbital bombard the settlement, blame it on an overload of the atmosphere processor and a catastrophic meltdown. But no, she would keep that option of wiping them out in reserve. Instead, she had another plan to either co-opt their entire colony... or push them out.

"Deploy in a holding position above the colony, and send down security forces," she ordered. "Full enviro suits, just in case."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"They call this a settlement," Taeli muttered to herself as the transports came down through the clouds and she got her first view of Poliard and its tiny little spaceport. She had to fight the urge to have her nose curl in distaste as she looked on the hovel nature of the buildings. It would almost be a mercy to wipe this place out of existence, as she could imagine even with the best atmosphere processor credits could buy, these things were certainly not airtight. The atmospheric processor dominated the spaceport from she could see through the smog and other nastiness in the clouds, and judging from she had heard, it was a model that was and truly antiquated.

She was certain that even the limited technology on the world had likely alerted the settlement to the arrival of the Aurora fleet and the incoming transports, but there wasn't going to be a whole lot they could do about it.

"My Lady, we're receiving a transmission from the settlement asking about our intentions," one of her captains reported.

"Inform they will know once we land," she replied.

Over a dozen transports, with fighter escorts now, would roar over the sky of Poliard, circling around to find decent spots to drop their environment suited security forces and droids down onto the surface. The side doors slid open on her own transport, and Taeli descended with the rest of her forces, an environment mask around her face and the Force pushing against anything else. Harbinger and Herald droids just walking down to drop into positions, weapons primed. It was an impressive display, and she had meant it to be.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Walking into the settlement with her forces, she had been correct in her initial assessment of the place. It was a ramshackle, barely functioning town, leaning towards the edge of a quiet destruction. Many of the salvagers that weren't out braving the wastes were emerging from their barracks or the starport. In the Force, she could feel their anger, their confusion, their fear. It was empowering as she kept walking, flanked by her forces as she was, deep purple dress trailing along behind her.

"Communications are jammed, as requested, my Lady," one of her captains muttered as what looked like what would pass as the mayor of the town strode up to her, blaster rifle slung over his shoulder. "Not that many messages were going out to begin with."

It made sense, the residents wouldn't have the credits to spend on actual holo-communications. They probably barely had the credits to even send just basic messages too far beyond the local systems, and she was sure whatever freighter crews that stopped by charged an arm and a leg to carry any messages. She nodded at her captain as the man stopped a few paces from her, a couple of other salvagers holding blaster rifles and some old looking slugthrowers.

"Ya'll got five seconds to explain who you are and what ya doin' here before we shoot ya," the lead salvager yelled, hefting his blaster into his hands. "Ya ain't welcome here."

Taeli was extremely tempted just to drop her hand and let her forces deal with the salvagers, but no... diplomacy first... bloodshed later if necessary. By now, the entire town was surrounded, and heavier units had been deployed with several Behemoth Tank Droids at key positions.

"I'm interested in your little... um operation you have going here," she said, not giving a name.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"What do ya'll mean interested?" the lead salvager asked, still not lowering his rifle. Taeli took a moment to glance around at the other salvagers present, noting some were intrigued by her words and others wanted nothing more than to shoot her dead. Well, they wanted to, but there was plenty of her forces present now and the town was surrounded. If anything moved to violence, well it would be a short fight.

"Yes, as... small of an operation it is," she said, focusing her attention back on the lead salvager. "Many of you are in a dead end situation, from what I gathered. Spent your last credits to come out here, hoping to make it big in the salvage market. Clearly, it hasn't been going well. I'm offering you all a choice. I'll pay for anyone who wants to leave, right now, and give them enough credits to start your lives elsewhere, on any world you want. You can stay here, and work for me and actually turn this operation into something worthwhile."

"And if we don't ya'll here?" the lead salvager asked. Taeli actually smirked as she had been sure to make her words carry to all of the salvagers present in the town. She could feel many were feeling hopeful, that she would be their saving grace, that they would be able to leave this hellhole. There were still some who wanted to kill her though, including the man in front of her.

"Then I think you can guess what the option is," she replied. "You can pull that trigger and see what happens."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"I'll take option three," the lead salvager said. "I ain't allowin' no big shot lady to come in here and tell me how to run my business. Most of us came out here because we didn't want to work for some damn wage master. Last warnin', leave and take your men with ya."

She sighed. Too bloody prideful this man, but then... had she expected anything less from a Corellian?

"If you put your hands up, you will not be harmed now and my offer will stand," she said to the salvagers. Several men and Rodians immediately dropped to the ground, hands raised behind them. Others were taking a moment to let her words sink in, and didn't know how to react yet. The lead salvager was squeezing the trigger on his rifle... and his bolt was immediately met with her hand. The energy dissipated, and in that moment, he realized his mistake. His shot though was cue for his followers, the ones who didn't her or her men here, to starts shooting at them as well.

Her security forces and the droids opened fire, bolts and laser cannon rounds flying through the air. Yells and screams as the salvagers either took cover or were caught in the cross fire. A shell from a Behemoth tank droid leveled one of the hovels. The lead salvager didn't get the chance to attempt a second shot, he was lifted off his feet and she lazily sent him flying out past the edge of the atmospheric dome around the settlement behind her.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"So unnecessary," she sighed. The fighting hadn't lasted long, the salvagers that chose to fight having been facing immeasurable odds. Fires from several destroyed hovels billowed smoke into the air, straining the already stressed atmospheric processor. About a third of the men had tried to fight, but to a man, not a single one was left. The rest of the salvagers had been corralled and been relieved of anything that could be used as a weapon, forced to their knees while the settlement was secured. "Commander Ryl."

A large Nikto, wearing a modified suit of Aurora trooper armor that was mixed in with his original turned to face her, severe face displaying the limited expression that meant satisfaction among the Nikto. She had personally headhunted the Nikto from his native Kintan, due to his skill as a Morgukai warrior, and had retained his services after besting him in single combat. The man was now in charge of Aurora's military operations, limited as they were, but he had proven to be an able commander during Directorate missions and the liberation of Coruscant.

"Lady Raaf, all salvagers are accounted for," he reported in his gravely tones. "No resistance remains, and the settlement is secure."

"Excellent, and the state of atmospheric processor?"

"As you requested, my Lady."

She nodded, looking back over the huddled salvagers and the few freighter crew members that were present among them. No one would miss these people, not this far out in the Outer Rim.

"A pity," she said. "They tried so hard to achieve something out here."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"They fought poorly, what you offer them is a swift death they do not deserve," the Nikto replied candidly. Taeli actually appreciated such bluntness from the Morgukai warrior, it was rather refreshing in a way. She gave a nod, and the Nikto commander started ordering the Aurora forces to withdraw from the settlement, dropships coming back down to pick up the droid and organic forces. The salvagers looked confused by this, but she paid them no mind as she stepped up onto one of the transports herself.

"What about your promise?" one of them yelled.

She stopped, her commander next to her.

"Yes, about that... I lied," she replied. Even as she spoke, the atmospheric dome began to slowly grow smaller. Shouts of alarm rose from the remaining salvagers, several rushing towards the spaceport that held the two freighters in port and where the controls for the processor were located. "In a way, I did tell the truth as well. I said you wouldn't be harmed then, but the actions of your fellows... well... I just couldn't trust any of you not to speak about what happened."

Without another word, the sides of the transport slid shut and departed for the polluted skies. The salvagers would find the controls sabotaged, the two freighters in port ransacked of anything useful to repair the damage her forces had done to them. Communications destroyed beyond the time it would take anyone to fix them. Within hours, the processor's dome would be gone and then their colony would just be another failed experiment in the Outer Rim, attacked by pirates. In orbit, the Aurora ships had impounded another freighter that arrived in system. All cargo had been taken, and their crews... well everything would look like a pirate attack.

The Aurora task force would jump to hyperspace... but not for too long.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

Three days later, a new Aurora flotilla arrived in the space above the planet, escorted by several of their more prestigious frigates and cruisers. Ostensibly, they were answering a distress signal they had picked up from the planet about pirates, carrying supplies and building materials to help get any survivors up on their feet and protected. Lifeform scans turned up nothing below, but that didn't necessarily mean everyone was dead on the surface. Transports departed for the settlement... and their scans only confirmed the long range scans.

On the ground, as the first Aurora people emerged in environment suits, different from the ones used three days ago, they could see what had happened. The salvagers, those not killed, had tried their best to save themselves from the atmospheric processor shutting down. Bodies were found in their hovels, on the ground, several grouped around the generator for the processor that looked like a vain attempt to repair it. In the starport, the two freighters had turned into tombs as well. Without critical components, they had been nothing more than a slight delay from the encroaching death of this world's atmosphere.

"Scans confirmed... no life signs."

On the bridge of the lead cruiser, Taeli nodded to herself. A pity for the salvagers, but such was life on the Outer Rim.

"Proceed to the designated LZ," she ordered. "We'll have the cleanup crew come through the old settlement."

Receiving a confirmation, Taeli allowed herself a smug grin. Now, the planet below was theirs and Aurora could begin their complete takeover.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

On their first visit, and in the secret scouting trips, Aurora had designated a potential site to establish their first outpost. It was relatively clear, nothing that a few loader droids couldn't move, and it was a large enough space to establish their own atmospheric processor. Not some ancient design either, it was a state of the art design that would work fine for protecting the outpost until they had expanded it more and Project Starbright was off the ground.

A few prefabricated buildings were being set up, with eventual plans to replace those once the site was more firmly secure. Landing zones needed to be cleared out for the Aurora ships to come and go from the outpost, at least until they had built a new spaceport. A small droid factory would need established as well, as that would be a key part to these early steps. In orbit, the Aurora flotilla was now hanging in a protective screen for the site below, except for one frigate that had deployed a clean up crew to Poliard. They would likely be working there for some weeks to come, given they had to liquidate the entire settlement, send the remains to any family the salvagers had, notes about what looked like a pirate attack being the culprit... and on it would go. They had plenty of work to do.

"So what next, my Lady?"

Taeli turned to regard the speaker, smiling.

"Now, we deploy the prototypes. Let us hope they are able to work as fast as you designed them to, Doctor Votoc. These early steps are crucial for the overall project."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

While the initial outpost for Aurora was going up, the other part of Taeli's plan was going into effect. Under her orders, Doctor Votoc, her Anomid Head of Droid Research, had set aside his research into his CX-series of droids to begin work on a necessary component for rehabilitating Lydrax. With the goal being the complete rebuilding of the ecosystem, or as much as they could do, the plan was to use some of the same techniques used to restore Telos but also to build upon it.

Votoc had designed some prototype droid designs that were to be tested to accelerate the process of cleaning the air and water of the pollution. He had also designed another droid that could be used in cleaning and transporting the refuse that covered the world. It would be these that were being offloaded at the Aurora outpost now, even though the atmospheric processor wasn't up and running yet. The Anomid was overseeing the delivery himself, instructing his engineers to co-opt one of the first pre-fabricated structures to be their forward observation post for the prototypes.

"Doctor Votoc, we are coming online," one of his fellow Anomids stated. Monitors were flickering to life, along with an image of what the first few droids were seeing. Screens of raw data started to scroll up while the engineers activated the droids and their subroutines. This was just a proof of concept, but as Lady Raaf had stated on the ship overhead, it was an important step.

"Send out AIR-1 and LAND-1. HYDRO-1 needs to be tested to make sure its casing can survive the super acids and other compounds in the water."