It is immediately apparent when faced with the barren landscape of the storm-stricken of Eadu why it was this location that was chosen by the Galactic Empire to house a secret weapons research facility. Jagged, mountainous terrain stands tall, shrouded in a blue hue as constant rainstorms batter the landscape with wind and lightning.

As a result of the hazardous weather, Eadu appears to be nighttime no matter the planet's cycle, its cloud-cover countering any potential daylight. Visibility is difficult but not impossible, the southern hemisphere providing a home to village clusters capable of withstanding the harsh conditions.

Within this pockmarked landscape lies the Eadu Energy Conversion Laboratory, where the Death Star's superlaser was initially developed. The facility itself is built into the mountains with a free-standing platform playing host to the only landing pad providing access to the lab.

Based on the available data, this lab served as a kyber refinery in addition to its developmental role. Although it is marked as destroyed by the Rebel Alliance, it is rare that something is left utterly annihilated. There's always a chance that backup systems remain or at least part of something can be found that might lead to a new discovery.

Such opportunity is key to military and vagabond alike. For some it may lead to profit, for others it could be just the boost they need to attain supremacy. Your reasons for coming may be your own, but the end goal is the same as anyone else's. Pick the remains of the facility apart and escape the hazardous storm churning around you. Preferably with a discovery in tow.

Just don't let it slip through your fingers, or into the grasp of another.

The Taldryan shuttle that Cassandra and Bale had borrowed from the summit pierced the dark skies of Eadu and quickly descended through the dark storm-filled clouds that covered most of the region they were going for. As it did, rain pelted the shuttle with incredible force along with severe wind shears that shook it back and forth violently with the occasional sudden drop in altitude. It was Bale's idea to come here, hoping to find something within the Energy Conversion Laboratory. Without a doubt she knew it had most likely been heavily picked over in the decades since the Empire abandoned it, but for her it was more the history that she was interested in. Looted or not, the amount she could learn would be virtually limitless.

What it was that Bale wanted, however? That was the larger question. One which upon asking, she never seemed to get a straight answer on. The shuttle finally cleared the worst of the storm as it entered the lower mountains and headed towards the base's location. It wasn't long before it reached a long shuttle platform that extended from the canyon. As it touched down the pilot lowered the ramp, Cassandra and Bale making their way off off onto the platform.

There were numerous crates scattered about, old decrepit supplies and rusted panels, clearly showing signs of disuse and a lack of maintenance. Given it had been abandoned for so long, it made sense.

"Come on, Cass!" Bale called out through the pouring rain and the harsh winds as he ran down the landing towards the entrance of the laboratory. She bolted from the shuttle, augmenting her legs as she shot past him just past the halfway point and made it inside the far doors as he was just over two-thirds of the way there. What little clothes she had were already soaked, primarily in the front from the speed at which she advanced along the pathway. Water dripped off of her as Bale made it inside, who was already laughing at her. "Gee, a little wet are we? Hahaha."

She glared at him, but opted not to react. Instead, she raised her right hand with her palm open. Bale looked at her a little confused, suddenly surprised when a flame appears in her hand.

"Wait, how are you-" he started but then stopped, followed by a shrug. It didn't really matter, Taldryan had been known for its pyrokinesis many years ago but it's users had all but gone extinct. Somehow, she had managed to learn how to utilize it however. Similarly to outside, the inside of the laboratory was just as trashed. Wall panels had fallen, along with ceiling panels. Wiring hung down in numerous spots, mold growing in various crevices. Together they began moving further inside, Cassandra using the flame to light their path. As they continued, she noticed several skeletons in imperial researcher outfits that were heavily degraded but the imperial crest emblazoned on the shoulders was still clearly visible.

Further inside, the laboratory ruins were far worse than she or Bale had expected. Collapsed corridors, blown electrical panels, and melted terminals. Even blast doors that were blown open, pried open, and even one that was clearly opened by a lightsaber. That one caught her curiosity the most, with her stepping inside to investigate. Inside was one of the vast wide open laboratories, with consoles, testing platforms, and massive broken holotables. She stood there for a moment, taking in the brilliance of what was once forged here. This was one of 'the' locations where components of the Death Star's main weapon were forged. Schematics etched into wall panels, broken data cores in opened containers.

"It's all here." Cassandra whispered as she ran her left hand over one of the consoles, brushing the dust off of it. "Not just the plans, but the people's emotions. Their fears. Their regrets."

Bale strode inside, watching her as he glanced around for his own purposes. This was why he brought her along, he knew she would be more than content in her own world with this place. Not a threat that would offset him from his goals. But even as he did, his tensions were high given the gravity of what she said. "I always wondered, if most of the researchers left after stardust was finished or if the empire killed them all."

Next to one of the consoles, he saw carved into one of the durasteel walls in long-faded crimson were the words: "They will know what we did here."

Chills traced down his spine, Cassandra immediately turning her attention to him as she sensed his unease.

"What is it?" she asked. Bale pointed to the message as she made her way over towards him. She let out a soft sigh as she read it. "Indeed, many did end up knowing. And knowing what I've learned of the Empire, I'm sure they murdered them once the research was complete. I can't see them leaving any loose ends."

"Ah, but you forget," Bale remarked, "There was a loose end. Caused them to lose the first Death Star."

"Scarif, yeah. Wasn't that Krennic's failure, not really a loose end?" she questioned as she went back to looking around, this time examining the containers on the ground. There was one she just barely noticed hidden in the corner, buried behind a massive section of ceiling that had collapsed. With a swipe of her left hand, the ceiling panels and giant metal sheets were tossed aside with a loud bang to reveal the entirety of the container. She crouched down and foraged through it, the container filled with yet more broken data cores.

Bale began looking around himself, examining what he could within the room. He needed to go deeper if he wanted to find what it was he was looking for, it was doubtful it would be this early within the facility. If it was even still here. "It was a flaw built into it. Planned from this very facility, from what I'm aware of." He looked up at her as she pulled what looked like a dusty, yet intact data core out of one of the containers. She looked it over, her pulse quickening a bit as she saw none of the cracks or fractures that were on the other ones. For her, this hopefully was more than data.

"Of all the times I didn't bring my slicing droid." she remarked dejectedly, with hopes of what could lie within. Bale's eyes narrowed with deep thought and consideration. He had thought for sure everything here had already long been pilfered, but given how much had been on top of that container, it made sense for it to be overlooked or ignored if those who had been here before didn't have the right tools to try and reach it. If it was indeed intact, he needed to know the contents.

If it was what he was here to find...he could not risk it in her hands.

It wasn’t the value of the item, nor was it some classified information he needed to hide from Cassandra. No. It was the shame of it all. It was the reputation-shattering notion that he’d put himself into a position to be blackmailed by some Hutt crime boss. That wasn’t like him. Not anymore. Ever since he’d retired, and despite his less-than-savory past, he’d done his best to run an honest business back on Chyron. Best blasted swoop shop this quadrant, he’d always say. Sure, he had sidelines, all of them above board. It wasn’t a secret that he dabbled in weaponry and armor, in fact, he’d recently signed a lucrative contract with the Vornsrk Batallion for just that reason. All thanks to said reputation.

Now, that was all in jeopardy.

Why? Because daughter dearest had gone and got herself in trouble with Coruscanti gangs, and, of course, Bale had stuck out his neck to get her off the hook. Of course, he would. No one messed with his daughter and got away with it. No one. Except it turned out she didn’t need help, no. Far from it in fact. She’d been working for some big shot from Hutt space, and she was right where she wanted to be. So Bale came in, gonked it all up as he does, and now, well, he owed one big peedunky Hutt. The kind that can snuff out your peaceful life running a swoop shop with one snap of his slimy, grubby, toady fingers.

So here he was, clothes drenched, spelunking through some old Imperial lab on a planet wetter than a Happabore’s slaghole in search of some experimental, and highly illegal, weapon schematics. He could have come here alone—probably should have—but Cassandra, well, she had a soothing way about her and she too had a reputation. She was one of few willing to jump up when a stranger asked for help, and he believed he could trust a Jedi of all people to be compassionate, should she figure out what he’d gotten himself into. That, or she’d turn him over to that Chiss creep Anders to face justice. Not for the first time, he doubted the wisdom in bringing her along. With some luck, they’d discover something in this shiessi dank hole that could be of use to her… help her people and the refugees they looked after. That would buy him some good will.

Right?

He shook his head, turned his attention back to the data core, frowned down at it. It was highly unlikely that he’d find what he was looking in some heap, not five steps inside, but then, what was it those Jedi say? The Force works in strange ways? Whatever.

“I reckon we’ll need a working terminal. That means we double back to the shuttle or we’ll need a power source. Me, I vote we keep going.” He nodded to the data core. “Pocket that for now and we’ll check it out if we find something working inside. Agreed?”

Cassandra did as he proposed, slipped the data core into the folds of her robes, then they pushed on ahead. They left the chamber behind, moved down an auxiliary corridor, more of a metal skeleton now, its once slick Imperial architecture blasted beyond recognition. The light of Cassandra’s magical flame danced upon the walls, casting long shadows. It would have been smart to let her lead the way. But smart wasn’t exactly the Bale way. Not when he was so impatient to get the job done. He almost paid the price for it too. If Cassandra hadn’t been there to anticipate the fall and hook his arm, somehow managing to hold his massive weight despite her lean frame, he would have stepped right off the ledge into the chasm ahead of them where the hall had collapsed. He squawked as she yanked him away.

“Huh,” was all he managed to say.

“I can sense your impatience, my friend,” she said. “Be mindful of your surroundings.”

The first rule of scavenging: impatience gets you killed, he reminded himself.

“Yeah, uh, there’s a hole there,” he said, his deep voice a croak.

She looked at him with a befuddled smirk on her face, then shook her head. Together, they both leaned over the hole to peer inside, Cass holding her flame out over the darkness. The light of the fire licked down at the walls, crowning the edges of busted metal and jagged rock, but died well short of the bottom. Bale reached to his belt, pulled a glowrod from it. He twisted the device, wincing, momentarily blinded by the eruption of green light. Vision adjusting, he leaned forward and lobbed it down into the chasm. It bounced off the walls, the clatter of plastoids on rock and metal echoing up to them. It ended its journey on a heap of debris below. It wasn’t as far down as he’d feared. They could easily climb down.

“I think I can make out a passage,” said Cassandra.

“Aye. Down and forward, I say,” he confirmed, already unraveling the grappling hook from his belt. He bent down, searching the ground around him for a safe anchor point, found one and fastened the fibercord around it. Satisfied with the solidity of his knot, he looked up to his companion and asked, “Need a lift?”

“I think I’ll manage,” she said with a soft chuckle before swiping the device out of his hand and swinging over the edge. She zipped down into the darkness with feline-like reflexes, feet finding the bottom floor in record time. He followed after her, clambering over the edge, working his way down slowly, muscles bulging, straining against gravity. He reached the bottom to find her yawning and stretching.

“Jedi,” he grumbled with a rolle of his one good eye. She grinned at him.

“Looks like we’ve got two directions,” Cassandra said, pointing to either side of the collapsed tunnel. “Where to?”

He took a deep breath, then pointed in one direction with all the confidence of a seasoned scavenger. Truth was, he didn’t know, but someone had to make the call. Worst case scenario, they’d double back, but if he knew one thing about Imperial bases, it’s that all corridors led to the same nexus in the end.

So he grabbed the glowrod off the ground and held it up as he stepped forward, leading the way down the corridor where he rounded a corner, and got suckerpunched by a big hard metal fist. Stars went supernova in his vision, head snapping back, as he was sent careening for balance. He was slumped against a wall, arse on the floor when the world stopped spinning. His eye found the glowrod where he’d dropped it. It was right next to the droid’s foot. Huh, he thought. He followed the foot up, found himself blinking up at two round eyes glowing white in the darkness. Photoreceptors. A K-X series security droid towered over him, his massive barrel frame highlighted by the green light of the rod.

“In-i-in-intruder,” it said, metallic voice glitching. It looked like it had seen intensive repair, rebuilt with mismatched parts, some of them definitely not of Imperial design. It sure looked like some past scavenger had decided to leave a gift for future adventurers.

The droid lumbered towards him, feet clanking and thumping as it reached for him, but then Cassandra stepped between them, plasma bursting to life, lava and ice, with the familiar snap-hiss of lightsabers.

The droid was looking ahead in a strange way, which kind of surprised Cassandra. She didn't strike with her lightsabers but instead held back and observed the droid. It was then that she realized what it was actually doing.

"...it's blind." she said as it continued to reach towards Bale, who now reacted differently towards it after she said that. It's metallic hand finally found him and started feeling over him. "No, we aren't intruders."

"Ma-st-st-err?" the droid spoke in broken words, crackles and distortions all throughout it. Given how long it had been here, it was no surprise it was in this condition. Could it have been that it reassembled itself over these years, just enough to keep itself going? "I-I can not-not-not hear yo-uuuuuuu."

The final syllable glitched out in its voice and repeated constantly. Its eyes briefly turned dark for a moment before relighting back up, most likely a soft reboot of its systems. Bale slowly stood up and took the droid's hand and held it to his chest. "Master is here. Don't worry, friend."

This action seemed to soothe the droid some, as its head dropped forward. "Mass-ass-ass-tor has-as come ba-a-ack. Dobbie kn-ew mas-s-ter wou-ld no-t-t-t abandon ittttttt."

Cassandra and Bale looked at each other, then the droid. When neither of them responded to that, it looked back up at Bale and gripped him. "You-u not mas-ter. Mass-ass-ass-tor shame Dobbie-obbie, mas-s-ter strike Dob-Dobbie. Mas-s-ter no give-ive Dobbie leg. In-tru-der quiet. Int-ru-ru-ruder not abuse."

In a fit of anger and rage the droid brought up its other arm and proceeded to hurl it towards his head as it screeched. "YOU NO-T MAS-TER!"

It didn't have a chance to connect, however, as Cassandra's lightsabers passed through its swinging arm and then its neck. The droid's head clanked to the ground, the body following suit along with sparks that flew from its stubbed arm and neck. She disengaged her lightsabers and reattached them to her robes.

"We should continue." she said with a smirk as she turned down the corner where the droid had sucker punched Bale. Bale remained still for a moment as he stared at the twitching, lifeless husk of the droid as its glitching voice box fizzled out in a low, static hum. The echo of Cassandra’s saber still rang in the corridor’s air, and the smell of scorched metal mixed with dust hung heavy.

They turned into a chamber that seemed once ceremonial. Massive metal pillars carved with archaic sigils reached toward a cracked ceiling. Vines had begun reclaiming the place, threading around a hollowed-out dais at the center. And there, sitting atop a partially disassembled imperial console, was a faintly glowing cube. The both of them instantly recognized it as a holocron.

Cassandra's eyes narrowed. "A holocron, way down here? In an Imperial facility?"

Bale stepped toward it cautiously. “It doesn't make sense to me either. Unless it was used to house an incredible amount of information securely.”

“That could be,” she said as she slowly walked forward following him. “But be careful. If Dobbie was a remnant of the master who was last here, then others may have been left behind. Or worse, traps.”

Bale hesitated for a moment at that prospect, then extended a hand toward the holocron. The moment his fingers touched it, a pulse of blue light surged out from its center, crawling up the walls like electricity running along ancient conduits. The room vibrated with a low, harmonic hum, followed by a blue colored shield that enveloped the holocron.

Then a voice. It was layered, almost sentient. Male and female tones overlapping, processed and old, but aware.

“State your name, and purpose.” the holocron spoke. It pulsed with color as it did so. Bale looked back at Cassandra.

"Go ahead," she said as she placed a hand on one of her saber hilts.

He cleared his throat. "Bale Andros. I seek knowledge...and truth. Truth about what is here."

For a moment, there was only silence. Then the voice responded, slower this time. “You are not him. You are not the one who abused Dobbie. You are not the one who took the leg.”

Cassandra tensed. “I think it's not an ally of Dobbie's master.”

The voice grew darker.

“Then you must prove you are not the master. You must return the leg. Or you will join the others in silence.”

From the edges of the chamber, compartments hissed open. Three more droids emerged, taller and more intact than Dobbie had been. Their glowing eyes focused on Bale, weapons unfolding from their forearms.

Cassandra ignited both lightsabers with a snap-hiss. "Looks like we’re not done yet. How do we prove to it you aren't the master, and where the kriff would the leg be?"

Bale stepped back, eyes darting. “I'll have to think on that while we keep ourselves alive. In the meantime, you take left?”

“I always take left.” she said with a grin, then launched forward.

The holocron pulsed again. The chamber was alive now, numerous droids along the walls coming to life as they activated one after the other. They looked ancient, quite angry, and were watching as the initial three droids began their advance.

The thump of droid feet. The mechanical whirring of their servomotors. The hum of Cassandra’s lightsabers. His breath. He stood his ground, white-knuckled grip on his Bryar pistol, finger itching to pull the trigger, yet doubt stopped him. Something was off. One derelict droid stomping around the base, cannibalizing electronics scraps to keep itself powered through the years was one thing. This facility had been inoperable for nearly half a century now, had suffered bombing runs by the Rebellion, had been stripped to the bone by expedition after expedition of scavengers. There had been no signs of active power, no readings from the ship’s scanners either. This shouldn’t be possible. This could not be.

And yet, they came at them. Thump. Thump. Thump.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the Holocron pulse once again, saw the wave of electric blue energy travel in a wave through the room, lighting up long-dead lights and screens for less than a heartbeat before going black again. He followed the wave to the droids and their photoreceptors, which pulsed in the same electric blue.

It couldn’t be that simple could it?

It was almost… too logical.

His eyes went to Cassandra’s lightsabers as a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He licked his lips, contemplating his next move.

“Cass?” he said. He pointed to one of her blades when she glanced at him “Let me see one of those, will ya?”

She looked at him, a flat stare, lips tight. “Why?”

“I, uh, just wanna try something,” he said.

“Now is not exactly a good time to begin your Jedi training, my friend,” she began, a tense smirk drawn on her face. “Besides, I do not believe you have a—”

“No time,” he growled, reaching out for her weapon, half-expecting her to recoil. Perhaps even a Jedi could be caught off guard, or perhaps she could sense his intentions. Either way, she relinquished her weapon to him. He wrapped his hand around the metal cylinder, the sensation surprisingly cold, but also surprisingly empowering. He held it before him, staring up its plasma blade for a second, suddenly feeling invincible. He almost wanted to charge the droids, lightsaber swinging. Instead, he spun on his heels and stabbed the blade through the Holocron. The device flared with electricity, sparks flying, metal bubbling, and then it went dark. Whatever power resided within died there and then.

The droids stomped onward, feet stomping, but then, there was a lull in their movement, as if their mechanical limbs were falling out of sync. Finally, they sputtered, actuators grinding to a halt. Their eyes shimmered blue then went black. One by one, they collapsed, as if time itself was catching up to them, collapsing in a heap of metal parts as if they’d been lying there all this time.

Bale looked at the lightsaber still burning in his hand and grinned. “Handy, that.”

Cassandra met his gaze as he returned her weapon, an eyebrow cocked inquisitively.

He grinned at her. “I work with all sorts of electronic and mechanical devices. Don’t reckon I know much about Holocrons or Jedi business, but I can tell a power source when I see it.”

She deactivated lightsabers and returned them to her robes. Then, she approached the deformed remains of the Holocron. She held her open hand palm down over it and closed her eyes. There was a hint of sadness or disappointment in her voice when she spoke. “I fear you’ve destroyed a valuable source of knowledge.”

He shrugged. “I saved our lives.”

“Perhaps. Alas, I fear this is a mystery that shall go unresolved.”

“Heh, sorry, Cass. I can’t say I care much about Jedi business. All that’s ever brought me is a load of trouble and an estranged daughter. Still, I didn’t mean to cheat you out of such a find. It seemed like the right thing at the time.”

The Jedi nodded, “Of course, my friend.”

It dawned on him that the schematics may have been stored on the device, but it seemed highly unlikely that Imperial researchers would have actively employed such abstract technology. The Empire worked with datadisks, not old space wizard magic cubes. A flicker of light in the corner of his eye captured his attention.

“Huh,” he said as he hurried to a nearby console. An array of switches and buttons, black screens, empty meters, and one red light blinking. His eyes flickered to the Holocron, thinking for a moment that it might be coming back to life. No. It was scrap metal, nothing more. This was different.

“What is it?” Cass asked.

“I think this may be just what we need,” he said with a grin. He fished the All-kit tool from his utility belt as he bent low underneath the console. He set about cutting through the panel, sparks showering him as he worked, and before long he tossed the sheet of cut metal aside. Reaching blindly inside and feeling around, his hands found what he was looking for—a power cell. He yanked hard once, twice, and on the third attempt, it came free. He climbed back to his feet and moved to a nearby data terminal.

“I am not sure I understand what’s happening here.” announced Cassandra. There was no impatience in her words, no frustration. Perhaps this was her polite way to ask what the pfassk are you doing, sleemo?

“Alright, so, it seems the recurring pulse of energy from the Holocron left enough residual charge in this auxiliary power cell to supply the terminal,” he explained as he popped another panel open, this time under the terminal. He pulled out a wad of wires, then set about connecting the cell. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the terminal was booting up. “It won’t last long though. We got lucky.”

“In my experience, there is no such thing as luck,” said Cass with a soft, knowing smile.

The terminal booted, Cass produced the data core they’d found earlier from her robes. Bale plugged it into one of the ports. Strings of code unraveled on the screen, an endless stream of them scrolling up. Bale cursed under his breath. The blasted thing was encrypted. They would need a slicer to extract any data from the device and he had no such knowledge. Now he wished he’d invited Aylin Sajark along for the ride. He canceled the process, then returned the core to his Jedi companion.

“Luck or not, we’re not getting anything from that here,” he said. He frowned as he returned his attention to the screen. He typed in some commands and brought up database access. If he had any hope of finding those schematics, that was it. His heart sank when he read the status report for individual database modules. He whispered, “It’s all gone.”

Cassandra placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not sure we should linger here much longer. I sense something is… wrong. Do you believe there is a chance you’ll find what you’re looking for deeper inside?”

He shook his head. “This is a bust.”

He looked at the twisted Holocron, then back to Cassandra.

“It seems I wasted your time, master Jedi.”

And it seemed he’d need another way to save his daughter from that greasy Hutt.

Pfassk.