Beneath the Surface
Posted on Sun Oct 29th, 2023 @ 9:51am by Thane & Bomoor Thort & Amare & Mentis & G2-O7
3,500 words; about a 18 minute read
Chapter:
Chapter VI: The Last Bastion
Location: Red Raptor, Mygeeto
Timeline: Day Six, Week Four (After "Homeward")
A steady ping from the Raptor’s main console indicated that the transponder code supplied with the message they had cryptically been provided had been accepted upon their entry into Mygeeto’s atmosphere. The responding signal revealed more precise co-ordinates to their presumed meeting place.
With the cockpit packed with the full crew, all anxious or eager to see where they were being led, Mentis had propped himself up against the side viewport, tucking his legs up carefully so as not to press on any of the controls. As they descended through the cloud layer, the landscape they were greeted with was almost as washed out as the sky itself, only rivalled by Mentis’ own pale visage pressed up to the transparisteel.
“I know a little bit about this place. Not much out in this continent but crystal mines,” stated the former cultist, “After most of the more-valuable surface crystal was harvested by successive occupying forces, not to mention an ever-present Muunist investment in the planet, the next logical step was to start hollowing out the planet looking for rich crystal veins.”
As they descended further, shards of translucent, lifeless crystals could be seen in clusters all along the surface of the planet, some larger growths could be seen emerging from the mountainside, relatively untouched, while the lower the altitude, the more the surface had been carved smooth by eons of harvesting. The rest of the ground was covered with sheets of ice amidst craggy stone, almost as pale as the ice itself.
“And when money is on the line, knowing where to dig becomes valuable information,” Mentis continued, “Which is where a certain Force sensitive cult thought they could stand to make a profit. Dowsing for crystals is not really a reliable ability, even with the Force, but they just needed to convince enough people they could correctly divine the most profitable land to purchase, take an advance on the supposed profits, and then leave before they dug deep enough to know they had been had. I never came here, but the cult used to have a base of operations somewhere in the central mountains.”
Unsettled by the recollection of Axion’s supposed presence here, Bomoor turned to the younger man, “I certainly hope it is not the cult calling us here now, particularly in light of the information provided so far.”
Mentis sat up straighter, leg slipping down slightly, as he pulled his back up on the metallic surface, “Oh, I shouldn’t think so,” he clarified, “As I said, they used to have a base here. I’ve never once seen them return to a former base. We always… They always kept moving forwards.”
It did not take the crew long to ready themselves for the short trek between the safe landing zone the Red Raptor ended up settling upon and the aged base their mysterious contact had called them to. Nearer sites had been briefly surveyed during their descent, but vast areas of the surrounding environment were deemed too hazardous, so precarious had the ground seemingly become during the successive millennia of corporate exploitation. The position that was selected, a moderately flat locale situated a klick from the base, still resulted in the ship being buffeted by the combined assault of snow and crystal particulates and forced each of the departing crew to wear protective eyewear and thick clothing designed for the hazardous environment.
As Thane stepped down the ramp of the Raptor, his eyes appropriately shielded and his form covered in a thickset parka, he cast his gaze out into the storm. Great shards of crystal and stone speared towards the storm-wracked sky to the side of them, appearing like giant talons reaching violently towards the unseen stars far above. The impressive natural display continued as far as the naked eye could see, and whilst the bleak landscape suggested a lifeless and barren world, the Force betrayed the depth of the ancient tragedy and power that ran into the core of Mygeeto.
Handing the bulky scanning device they had equipped themselves with over to Mentis, Thane tugged his fur-lined hood closer around his face and the scarf that obscured its lower half. A swirl of billowing snow spun past them, and an array of vibrant colours could be briefly seen shimmering as the light caught the crystals that were interspersed with the ice. As Thane could not help but silently wonder at the respiratory risks of breathing Mygeetan air in such a climate, he gently encouraged the Force to conduct an invisible purge through his physical body.
"I don't sense any deception," he said, the small microphone attached within his attire broadcasting his voice to the others, and he took a moment to look back at both Bomoor and Amare, with his gaze resting on his apprentice for a moment longer. The comparable appearance of Mygeeto to the catastrophe-wracked plains of Irrikut was not lost on him, of where he had exposed young Zaracoda Wolph to one of her first lessons in the Force, so many months before. "Unless they wanted to conceal our deaths, this seems a foolish place to ensnare us."
"No snare more wicked than my homeworld," Amare remarked with grim humour as she wore her parka with the hood down, doing her prideful Sith best to pretend she was unfazed by the temperature; she had her anger towards Bomoor for this frigid diversion to keep her toasty warm for the moment. "Year-round tropical weather, top-rated beachside hotels and service to dull the senses, music and events galore. One big tourist trap."
Firm footsteps crunched down the snow behind him as Bomoor approached, his dark eyes peering out from beneath a wide hood that gave the appearance of a beast lurking within a cave. The rest of him was equally well-padded underneath an olive-coloured jacket, even down to his usually bare feet that now adorned a pair of specialised boots. He peered down at the device now in Mentis' hands and then over towards the dilapidated metallic stricture it was directing them towards
"No deception, perhaps, but clearly someone who wants to keep their business hidden," his voice hollered through the short-range communicator system, "We cannot seem to scan inside that mine, so chances are we won't be able to call back out either. We would be wise to have someone covering the exit in the event this turns sour."
On this occasion, Rex had remained with the Red Raptor, unconvinced to join the motley crew of Force-wielders in their foray into the unwelcoming blizzards of Mygeeto, and preferring the relative safety of the ship. He had not failed to mention the opportunity it might afford him to launch the freighter off the planet, far from dastardly schemes, secretive meetings and mystical cults, but none of the others had been convinced by the bravado. Whilst the charm that had typified the Human's character in years past was beginning to return to him since the events on Korriban, his empty threats of abandonment, not even deemed amusing by some, failed to evoke any concern.
Thane did not yet answer Bomoor's suggestion, although he had already mentally-assigned Mentis to the task of guardsman, and let his eyes wander upwards, as if the sharp glint of gold that edged his irises might pierce through the extraordinary sheet of white to spy the planet's sole star. A rogue notion presented itself within his mind, as he wondered at the prospect of one day sensing the great spheres of superheated plasma through the Force, being as much responsible for the existence of sapience as the energy field that permeated reality. The dark side had already offered a terrible and intense connection to the universe for Thane, as he regularly beheld with fear and excitement the awesome power he could exert across entire plains, forests and landscapes since his tutelage under the Sith; he queried the extents he could reach, if there were really any true upper limit to the scope and power he could wield.
The group carried on in relative silence for a little longer, as they pressed on against the storm and Thane allowed his thoughts to, initially, gather pace, before he returned to the moment, instead making the effort to focus on the mundane; the crunching of snow and grit beneath their feet, audible even above the storm, and the whipping of frigid wind about his face, frequently threatening to numb his extremities.
Before long, they spotted the outline of a structure embedded within the ice. As they drew nearer, the ancient metal, tarnished and covered in layers of ice, was visible, and its shape took clearer form. A satellite dish, cracked in half and pointed askew, rested upon one large segment of the former mining complex, and other areas appeared to have collapsed entirely and frozen over. The different buildings that formed the complex were largely cubic in shape, and had been clearly designed to withstand the Mygeetan climate as best as was possible, although time had evidently begun to win the war against the ageing structures. What appeared to be warehouses and landing platforms were dotted to the periphery, but were also largely consumed by the climate or beyond repair. No vessels were immediately obvious to the group, and there was no indication of any physical or combative presence.
"A frontal assault, then?" Thane asked, as they halted their advance, each examining the skeletal husk of the mining facility. "Knock on the door?"
Mentis raised his head from the scanner in his hands and gestured it towards the others in his gloved hand.
“Seems they know we are here, so no need to knock,” he answered Thane’s query before adding, “It says to head in and proceed to the old control room on the first sub-level.”
Bomoor nodded to Mentis and paced backwards slightly so he was between all those assembled, “Since we are being monitored anyway, we might as well take the direct approach and head straight in. At least we won’t be going in too deep.”
Eyeing Thane and gleaning his earlier thought, Bomoor voiced it, “Mentis, you keep monitoring things from out here. Find a spot with some shelter over by the landing platforms there and signal back to the Raptor that the rest of us will be heading in.”
“Certainly Bomoor,” Mentis answered easily, making it quite clear he had no strong desire to head inside anyway, “Although I would be better able to support you closer to the entrance. I have suffered worse than this planet’s weather.”
Straightening up and peering down at the Rattataki, who had his usually exposed head wrapped within a warming hood so that his milky white skin was cast into a darker grey in its depths.
“Very well, I shall not dictate how you choose to support us. I trust your experience,” he agreed before turning to the others, addressing Thane particularly, “I should probably say, before we venture in, that I am well aware that my family ties are a potential weakness in the matters ahead. You know well that I have many fond memories of my father and my mother from before the Order and whoever we meet might try to manipulate me because of that.”
He turned to stare at the mine’s entrance, imagining the great depths that stretched beneath them into the ravaged mineral deposits of Mygeeto, “I do not want my parents to come to any harm, but do not let me suck you into some kind or trap or fool’s errand. I may no longer be a Reborn Jedi, but I must not put any of you at risk on my account.”
Thane watched his friend meaningfully for a moment. Even behind the obscuring equipment covering his face, the slight adjustments of irises and the tightening of his facial muscles indicated he was struggling to formulate a suitable response. Whilst there was a kindness to the expression, he seemed satisfied when his apprentice stepped forward.
"Bomoor," Amare said in a soft supportive tone as she stepped to his side and gently placed a hand on his arm, "let's not let it come to that. And, if it does...we'll avenge them together." She lowered her hand and locked eyes with him knowingly, for the Ithorian knew the dark circumstances of Amare's past and how she lost her family to pirates. Though she was Sith, she was not barbaric enough to wish the same level of suffering on her friend.
Allowing Amare's light touch to wash over him, Bomoor matched the young woman's gaze, "If that were to be the case then..." he considered how he might take such an outcome, before acknowledging, "Well, I suppose you would know better than I am grateful for your support."
He shook his shoulder, whether for the chill of the climate or the chill of his own thoughts, before turning around.
"Then, with that said, let us proceed."
The interior of the mining complex heralded some relief from the icy winds, although all climate control inside the building was as faded a notion as the mining potential of the land itself. The dilapidated lobby must have once been bright and busy, with a faded, unfamiliar corporate sign on the far wall above a reception desk with half the shutter pulled down, one side of it appeared to have been forced open some time ago by someone perhaps hoping to pilfer what equipment and materials remained inside. They walked past a locker room, equally looted, with only some torn safety gear strewn about the floor. As they reached the stairway down to the level below, the chill had abated enough that the group felt comfortable removing some of the warming gear obscuring their faces.
"Looks as though the control room is just down there," Bomoor indicated, closing his eyes as he reached out in the Force, "I can sense someone ahead. Just one person, but there could still be droids or those skilled in hiding their presence."
Imperial-issued parka loosened and inactive shoto in hand, Amare gazed down the stairs with an inquisitive scowl and increased heart rates. Flashes of her late brother's secret base on Quesh dominated her thoughts as she recalled another set of downward stairs from that place leading to that office where the last son of the Wolphs met his fate. She struggled mightily in silence to shrug off her post-traumatic stress as recollections of that violent day threatened to derail her focus. It was then that she remembered her Sith teachings...
Through Passion, I gain Strength...
It was the Jedi way to find calm in the storm, to control one's feelings and find a center of peace within in dangerous times; it would not be her way, nor the way of any future Sith.
Rather than forcing herself to ignore the past that caused her great emotional pain, she took a mental leap of faith and embraced it, and the thoughts became part of her muscles, blood, and nerves. The memories of mortal violence between her and Capo began to sharpen her resolve as she gazed down at the stairs with suspicion and paranoia of a possible ambush. She smirked a little to herself as she recalled stabbing Capo in the throat and seeing the frozen reaction on his face right before she bisected his head.
It was exquisite.
An additional brief dark thought of carving up Bomoor's parents crossed her mind, thinking about how the somewhat flat fleshy Ithorian head would split from those strange bulbous alien eye stalks, but she shook that bit of malice straight out for his sake and barely managed to keep herself from giggling at her macabre contemplations.
Violet light suddenly exploded from Thane's lightsaber with a snap-hiss as he thumbed its activation switch, casting an ethereal glow into the dark depths ahead. The steady thrum of the electrum weapon was carried down the narrow stairwell and returned back to them, intensifying the sound. He did not yet advance, and the others held with him for that moment, as he carefully brought the plasma blade around to better inspect their way, little shadows dancing against the walls, evoking thoughts of diminutive creatures, stalking their prey in their decaying nest.
As he pulled the blade back closer to his face, it cast an unearthly pallour upon his skin, and the corrupted golden glint in his eyes seemed to shine more keenly. "Our attachments define us, whether we seek them, acknowledge them, reject them or simply avoid them," Thane said, his voice muted enough to not carry over the humming of the lightsaber, although it was not clear if he was addressing one or both of his companions, as he turned from the stairwell to glance at them both in turn. "The Jedi know this, and clearly failed in their management of both Bomoor and I. You are wise, Amare, to find value and strength in the pain yours have dealt you. I would not now, therefore, judge you, Bomoor, in however you may feel about this situation - but, if I have learned anything of the truth of the dark side and the Force in the last year, it is that our emotions, intense and fraught, and obviously involuntary, should not be wasted." His eyes now settled on Bomoor properly. "If harm has come to your parents, or if their names are just being used to manipulate you, let that fear and pain serve you. Respect the reality of what they mean to you. Honour it - do not reject your individuality as the Jedi would, crippling themselves and killing their egos." He managed a half-smile for his friend, itself partly lit by his blade, the rest obscured by the shadow of the facility. "That serves no-one, and only dishonours your family and who you are. We are not Jedi, and we do not deny truth."
Bomoor's heart rate rose a tad, which he could not hope to conceal from his Force bonded friend but he managed to calm it quickly and turn to look at the now violet-hued stairway.
"I have no doubt that the dark side can turn anything towards power," his echoic voice hung in the air, "You are right: our attachments have meaning to our lives and can give us a greater strength than the Jedi ever dared to admit, for to do so admits losing some measure of control. However, we do not have to burn what we love to gain that strength. So much of my strength comes from fighting by your side to protect that which we believe in and I suppose a part of me always thought I was fighting for my parents too."
Igniting his own blade, casting the hallways into a misty light as the violet and viridian collided, the former consular began to step forwards, "I don't know what way this path will lead us, but I will use every source of strength I can to fight those who would oppose our little world."
"More than little," Amare remarked as she advanced with them, weapon in hand, but kept it inactive. She brought her free hand up in front of her face, mentally willing the Force to gather and concentrate around her presence, and balled it into a fist as it began to emit an aura of scarlet red for a brief moment. "Our world is everything. I will settle for nothing less."
Thane's smile became briefly wider and more genuine, buoyed by both of his companions in a surprising uplift for his mood. Like them, he turned his eyes downwards, the mixed light of their energy weapons revealing the ancient path into the bowels of the decrepit mining facility. Their steps echoed rather mutely up and down the stairwell, their careful steps not causing the metal to creak or groan as painfully as it would have otherwise, although stealth was perhaps a moot endeavour, given their invite.
All three of them could feel the others stretching out with the Force, the distinct tendrils of each of their presences open to one another and coalescing, such was the familiarity that had grown between them. As they descended a further two levels, finding the first sub-floor inaccessible without greater unnatural exertion, there was no denying the presence of a complex entity, intelligent and sapient, beyond a mere creature that may have turned the facility into its den.
Pausing before a large set of double doors, heavy and operated through a larger and weighty-looking manual mechanism, Thane peered at Bomoor and Amare, his and the Ithorian's blades still aloft. "Knock on the door?" He repeated his earlier wry comment.
Bomoor held his blade higher to catch a glimpse of his friend's face as he replied.
"Always," he answered in a softer tone, slightly relaxing at his friend's strength in the face of the unknown.
TBC
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