Research Director Titius Osseus vs. Lontra Boglach

In the distant past, the Catacombs of Cadera were a series of ancient structures located beneath the surface of the sacred moon of Jedha. Hidden within was a monastery, serving as a burial ground for an Order of NiJedha Monks. In the wake of tbe Death Star's attack, however, the moon's surface was sundered, all but annihilating the Catacombs and the monastery hidden within.

You have fallen into darkness. Deep below Jedha's devastated surface, you find yourself lost within the remnants of the Catacombs—only ruins now remain. As your eyes adjust, you realize only a few shafts of hazy, pale green light are all you have to see by. Every step, every breath you take echoes off of the cavern-like walls. You run a hand over a hand over one of the pillars adorning the ruins and feel the carved stone flake at your touch. That they still hold the ceiling in place above your head is a miracle.

You must tread cautiously. Taking careful steps forward, you feel the sickening crunch of skeletal remains beneath your feet. The hollow sound of shattering bones rings throughout the catacombs. Announcing your presence to whoever or whatever may reside here. The air is fetid and clouded with dust you stir up with every movement.

As you wander you realize these ruins are labyrinthine—a tangled maze of broken and collapsed tunnels crisscrossing haphazardly leading to who knows where. Each path you take is fraught with hazards or dead ends. From deep within the darkness, you begin to hear whispers—a constant buzzing in the back of your mind that quickly puts you on edge. The spirits of the dead slumber restlessly here. You must escape this place, but, before you can begin to search for an exit, you hear footsteps methodically moving toward you.

Tread lightly in the Ruins of Cadera... for you are not alone.

Titius looked around awkwardly, his vision clouded by the ever present darkness. This deep into the ruins, it felt as if even spotlights were swallowed instantly by deep shadows. Even the air was dead as still as it was. But sound still carried and the footsteps crept ever closer. They were slow, as if their maker was navigating deep vegetation.

Titius had been mid thought when rhythmic sound first appeared. He was concerned his always pristine armor was likely covered in a layer of fine silt from all the freshly disturbed debris he had blasted through so far. It also meant intruders had a path straight to him if they wished. Lifting himself upright, the mercenary stood still and waited for the next sound.

The footfalls were punctuated by a dull click as if from an armored boot but too soft to be a droid. As fast as Titius became aware of them, they stopped dead. Several seconds passed...then several more. Titius decided to let it be. A few simple raiders probably found the entry and attempted to venture in a ways. Nothing a primed explosive could not solve, one way or another. With a disinterested shrug, the researcher crouched back down and felt around for his tool pack. Just as he wrapped a glove around a tool he felt a slight shift and froze again. The air was dead this deep down, still as the deceased monks that once roamed these catacombs. It should not move... But something was disturbing the space and it was low down. Something was brushing against his leg that was decidedly alive and quite squirmy. Titius was not knowledgeable about native fauna on Jakku but he was pretty sure nothing from the surface would willingly enter the ruins much less find the nearest other creature and mingle. Something else must be at play and Titius quickly formed a theory as the sensation slid away. There was a Force user around and that was their companion that had located him. It was time to move and quickly.

The catacomb hall was briefly illuminated as Titius checked his vambrace. He had loaded a map of the catacombs before arrival that had so far proven accurate. A quick glance showed several paths, most converging on a central space. A narrower line caught his eye, leading deeper into the structure. It appeared to end in a small room off the main complex. The second presence would either follow or move on.

Lontra could barely see his hand in front of his face. He smirked as his dark wit twirled. At least if I die, I am already in the ground. Beats getting boiled on a space walk. Tossing another globe of light, he was just able to make out the intricate carvings on the walls and rubble strewn across the floor. A few turns ahead, he could feel Bubbles sliding around the safest path. Lontra sent out warm feelings and telekinetic pets as thanks. Bubbles sent back a feeling of dusty squishiness that turned into a cold solid sensation of stone again. Lontra knit his eyebrows as he sensed the change and closed his eyes. The Force felt heavy as he reached out through its ripples. There was so much death, rotting decay and sudden fear that threatened to overwhelm the Jedi as he felt around. An image flashed past of a sterile operating room covered in ichor but was gone as Lontra registered its alien presence. A small pit began to form in his stomach as he ventured forward. Someone or something truly evil was ahead.

The ruins offered nothing but dust. Every step the Jedi took plumed another dust cloud. Making breathing unbearable.

Lontra Boglach moved slowly through the shattered corridors of the Catacombs, one gloved hand brushing along the chiseled stone wall to take in his orientation. With each step, he felt dust and stone crumble off the wall with the faintest of pressure, making him anxious that it may collapse further. His other hand hovered near the hilt of his lightsaber, though he had not ignited it.

Light would help here, but also announced you to anything with eyes. And something, other than him and Bubs, was down here.

The Force churned thickly here. Not with a flow like a river, bending and weaving with the environment. More like water in a mud puddle. It was there, but felt goopy and grimey.

Ancient death clung to every broken arch and collapsed hallway. The whispers he felt were not words, per say, but vague impressions. Fear, dedication, resignation; emotions that hung in the air like ghosts giving faint outlines of the monks who once had guarded, lived, and worshiped in this place.

Remembering some of the early history of the Empire, Lontra knew that the monks had died suddenly when the moon’s surface was sundered; yet their echoes certainly remained in the force like a pain in the chest would remind you of a pulled muscle.

Ahead of him, Bubbles the polecat was venturing along the floor in soft, squirming loops of glee. His small, puffy form easily flowed through the broken stone and rubbish with no concern or caution paid to the bones or skulls he came across. At times the polecat would disappear from sight, exploring a tunnel or pocket that Lontra couldn’t see into. But Lontra kept a keen focus on him through the Force at all times.

When the creature paused his hunt, as if sampling the air in a way Lontra could never understand, Lontra used the moment to toss out another globe of light down the corridor. The pale sphere floated ahead, illuminating etchings into the stone walls - likely some ancient NiJedha script marking some achievements of the temple’s prior servants.

But the globe also revealed a set of footprints in the dust…heavy, armoured ones.

“Well…” Lontra exhaled slowly, then muttered to himself. “At least the ghosts wear boots now, might be a pair my size.”

It was that more that Bubbles sent back a sensation through the Force; an alert. Curiosity mixed with something like squishy excitement. The same emotion a kid would have for their favourite stuffed toy.

Lontra stepped forward carefully, what would give Bubs that reaction?

The corridor widened into a partially collapsed chamber where jagged rock from the sundering pierced the ancient architecture. A crouched figure was visible in the dim light spilling in, his armour markings dulled by layers of grey dust.

The man moved first, raising what looked like a grenade launcher at Lontra. Lontra remained as calm as he could, this wasn’t the first time he had been drawn on, and raised his hands slightly to show them to be empty.

That damn rodent thought he found a friend. Lontra laughed in his head as he connected the dots.

“Easy there…” He started, “Not here to add another body to the decor.”

The armoured figure straightened slowly and for a moment neither spoke. Then recognition flickered.

“Wait,” Lontra continued, slowly stepping forward to get a better look while waving a finger as he thought. “I know that armour. You’ve worked contracts off the Vizsla Bounty Board, haven’t you?”

The man’s posture shifted slightly, not relaxed, just…acknowledging. Lontra nodded slowly.

“Thought so. Name’s Lontra Boglach…You are?” When no response came, Lontra started to gesture vaguely about the chamber. “An Explorer? Occasional archaeologist? Accidental grave robber…”

The reply came flat. “Titius.”

“Right…Seen your name on a few credit sheets.” Lontra nodded once while he casually stepped towards a branching corridor. “No reason we both need to crowd the same haunting…”

“I serve Clan Plagueis.” Titius spoke again, placing emphasis on the last two words.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees and Lontra stopped in his tracks. Raiju Kang’s voice echoed immediately in his memory.

Never trust the pricks.

Lontra’s expression did not change, but he felt his brow hardened. A gentle tap on his boot informed him that Bubbles had returned and hitched his grip, he too sensed the temperature change. Lontra’s gaze lingered on Titius a moment longer.

“Well…” Lontra cleared his throat as he began backing towards the side corridor with Bubbles in tow. Once again, Lontra lifted both hands slowly, not to surrender mind you…just to avoid escalation. “That explains the ominous vibes you’re sharing.”

Again, the man’s posture shifted slightly as if…he was smiling beneath his helm?

A low chittering added to Lontra’s sense of eeriness. He shook his leg once but it continued. Unable to break eye contact with the armoured goon, Lontra instead spoke out the side of his mouth.

“Bubs, whatever you are doing - knock it off.” The chittering continued but this time a squawk clearly sounded from the man’s boot. It announced that the chittering was coming from another direction.

Behind him.

The Force flared and the Jedi’s calm broke. He hopped to the side of the corridor and watched as a jetblack claw lunged into the space he had been. Poofs from Titius’ weapon announced incoming ordinance which bounced further down the corridor before exploring. In the bright light of the explosion, Lontra could make out the additional combatant: A Skriton.

Yet, in his haste to scramble along the wall away, Lontra noticed the crumbling wall of the corridor from the shockwave. And from it emerged three more tails and claws, highlighting the nesting grounds they had stumbled upon.

As the arachnid predators lunged over one another like a massive dogpile of scraping limbs and snapping mandibles, Lontra found his bearings and stood out from the wall. His lightsaber hilt leapt into his hand and an orange glow flooded the room with a distinctive snap-hiss.

“You better know how to use that.” Titius quipped as he joined the Jedi’s side.

Lontra did not rise to the taunt, his blade falling to practiced rest as he steadied himself for the battle ahead. Seeing the blade swing out, Titius moved back and adjusted his grip as he sent more canisters past the horde. Deep within the hive, a distinctive hiss mixed with distressed chittering. The forward wave seemed undeterred by assault and rushed the duo.

Orange light crashed around the space like spilt lava as Lontra manipulated his lightsaber over the vermin. Legs, bits of carapace and a mandible hit the floor as the Jedi cut down arachnids as a gardener would trim a hedge. As another creature crawled over their fallen kin, Lontra easily stepped over rubble and danced out of the sweep of claws. A sudden feeling flared through his mind, his body moving without prompting as a searing streak of crimson ripped through the creature and burrowed into the one behind.

"If I did not know better, I would think you just tried to backstab me, Titius." The only response given was a rapid volley of more laser bolts, their coloration louder than their emission. "I had assumed you would be a better shot either way."

Titius was moving his way along the wall opposite the breach. His weapon swung rapidly as he relied on his sight to illuminate the darkness between the orange waves from the lightsaber. Occasional stragglers would skirt the glow only to bored out by the rifle as it swung its bore to bear. It only took a few steps to be between the way out and the creatures, an opportunity Titius took with gusto. Sligning his Relby behind him, he grabbed out a grapple in one hand and a grenade in the other.

"May you rest with your kin, Force slave." Titius spun himself, launching the now primed grenade at Lontra and the arachnids as the grapple spooled out down the corridor. The grapple line reversed direction as it attached, throwing the mercenary to the floor and sliding away from the mess. Shrapnel sprayed into the area, ripping apart the remaining bugs and into Lontra. The air was filled with metallic ringing as metal shards hit stone and Titius' armor shredded along the floor.

As the grapple ran out, the mercenary bounced up and broke into a dead sprint through the ruins. A smoke bomb bounced behind the fleeing form, obscuring the escape.

Lontra didn’t answer, but felt his jaw tighten in annoyance. While he certainly didn’t trust the Plaguies member, there was the old adverb about enemies of my enemy…

The first Skriton to make it through the crumbling wall hit the pair like a wall made of chitin and teeth.

Orange light carved a bright arc through the dim chamber as Lontra stepped into it, fighting the impulse to retreat. His blade sheared across a lunging claw, the creature recoiling with a shriek that was headache inducing. To his right, Titius fired again and again with a controlled and precise rhythm. The grenade launcher made a thumping sound as each shot went out, skipping shots across the stone floor before detonating at their intended target. Concussive waves erupted from the bursts that dulled the senses while shaking the earth.

At one moment, Lontra paused his assault to note sand, pebble, and rock sprinkled from the ceiling above with each of the concussive blasts…It wouldn’t be long until the whole place came down upon them.

Ignoring the danger for the present, Lontra moved like water; fluid yet strong, slipping between lunges from his attackers while flashing his lightsaber in tight, efficient cuts meant to disarm rather than maim the creatures. Yet through what sounded like gritted teeth, Titius grunted his displeasure with the Jedi when the man didn’t commit to killing the bugs.

At one point, a second Skriton was upon the pair and when it overextended itself, Lontra chose to take the creature’s leg, knocking it off balance, rather than pierce its face and end its life. A fury erupted from the armoured man, who spoke with a heat unmatched by his explosive rounds.

“Just kill it!”

Lontra, again, didn’t react to the armoured man; instead, he was focused on the threat behind him. A Skriton had dropped from the fractured ceiling and lunged with a snapping claw towards Titius’ back, yet it was the Jedi that felt the cold, hard exoskeleton of the Skriton upon his hands. Though they were separated by several metres, Lontra could sense the being like they were conjoined and pushed his open hand firm against the mental feeling he had off the Skriton.

When his open palm extended towards the creature, it lifted from the ground and sailed backwards toward the stone wall behind. A heavy, wet crunch announced to Titius what Lontra had wave his hand upon and he allowed himself the briefest glance over his shoulder to the twitching debris behind him.

“Not bad…” The armoured man muttered while turning his attention back to the fight. He nodded his helm towards a new threat coming from the walls. “Hatchlings.”

He was right. As Titius and Lontra had fought through the parents, if they could be called that, miniature Skriton slowly creep forward from the bowls of the ruins. Each adding to the growing chattering deafened the pair’s attempts at coordinating.

When one of the short, underdeveloped bugs rushed in low, Lontra met it head on and plunged his blade deep into the joint beneath its head. The creature spasmed and shrieked while he wrenched his weapon free and tried to direct Titius to fall back while he provided cover. But it seemed the direction had been drowned by the chorus of chattering, as Titius turned to the opposite branch in the cavern.

But then Lontra noticed the blinking red dot in the other man’s hand. A tone sounded from the device, announcing it was armed, and the closest Skritons were drawn to its buzz.

The chamber seemed to fall quiet as Lontra calculated what to do next. The creeping threat of the hatchlings would be soon upon them from every angle, as dozens crawled along the floors, walls, and ceilings. Their advance didn’t even bother moving around their fallen, as broken limbs twitched from the stampeding horde. Across the chamber, Titius stood ready in the other exit. Between them was the horde spilling out from the tunnel that ran to the nests deep below.

Lontra exhaled slowly, focusing on the archway he had backed into while retreating.

It was at that moment, Titius lobbed the armed explosives into the chamber. While it may not have been directly at the Jedi, the result still was the same in that the pair would now be severed. Titius was planning his retreat to be solo.

So must be Lontra’s.

The Jedi was quick to slip to the inside of the archway, bracing one hand and foot against one pillar while swiping with his blade upwards as he pushed off. The orange saber sank deep into the underside of the arch, immediately causing the structure to buckle and collapse inward with a roar. Yet as the Jedi landed, a surge of strength and energy filled the man’s legs and carried him forward in a manner that felt like time had slowed. When the large, jagged rock fell from the ceiling and sealed the pathway, Lontra was already well beyond its reach.

Pausing his stride a moment to gasp for breath, Lontra found his legs were heavy and drained so he prompted himself up on the wall before looking back. At one moment, he thought he heard the muted boom of Titius’ explosive as there had been a faint thud, followed by a slight shake in the ground. But so well sealed was the archway now, Lontra had little to worry about from the armoured man or the nest full of hatchlings.

“Now, to find the way out of his force-forsaken place…”