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 Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:20 pm
This platform resembles a huge warehouse in space, with massive disk-shaped docking bays built into all four main sides. This station is unremarkable, and is known by most of the galaxy's inhabitants to be a hazardous waste storage facility, so they give it a wide berth.
The truth is, this platform is nothing so dangerous. It is a storage for massive amounts of Imperial Military vehicles, weapons, armor, and supplies, and it is also used a a replacement depot for returning military units to pick up replacement troops, vehicles, etc, when returning from a campaign. Traffic in an out of the station consists of bulky cargo haulers and disguised troop transports masquerading as worker transports.
The security is tight, with only authorized ships allowed in. For the most part, the only people that stay are the quartermaster corps, and the replacement troops, which are usually always there, waiting to be attached to a unit, and numbering about 25,000 men. They live in on-site barracks, which are built in the center area, above the warehouse levels, with little to do except train.
This seemingly unremarkable place also holds a sinister secret that could threaten the entire sector. For generations, rumors of a cult operating in the abandoned lower levels have persisted, but nothing ever comes of it when teams investigate. Nowadays, every other team sent down to repair machinery or check for abandoned equipment (or the prior teams) do not come back.
Unfortunately, the best thing they have done lately is cancel patrols down there, and seal the lower levels. With this being one of the main supply depots for the military, something must be done. On the Staging Point Base, about a days flight away, plans are being drawn up for a purge of the facility's lower levels, to take place sometime in the future...
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:17 pm
Saul cruised towards the platform, pulling into a docking bay on one of the lowest levels before shutting his ship down. He'd been sent by his commander to investigate the rumors of a cult down below the storage warehouses, and was supposed to meet someone else upon arrival and get to work.
He brought his scoutship down, and shut down the power, striding off the boarding ramp, towards the waiting group of quartermasters.
He was brought quickly up to speed, and given access to a lift that would take him down to the lower levels that were sealed off. They were, he had been told, mostly dark, with little lighting, and dank, wet heat, with odd planet life growing throughout. They left him to prepare aboard his ship, while they got the second person of his team.
Inside his small but decently equipped armory, he loaded up with his usual weapons, and took several demo charges, more grenades, and an assault laser rifle with under slung grenade launcher. He stepped off his ship and sealed it up, and turned around to meet his new partner...
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:29 pm
Persephone sat patiently outside the ship, talking in hushed whispers on her wristband communicator.
"Discretion is going to be key, Persephone. Keep your a** covered."
"I know that," she said dryly. "Trust me-- you needn't tell me how to do my job."
The voice on the other end of the line chuckled. "Best of luck, then... Do not disappoint us."
"I never do," she said confidently, and ended the call, just in time-- a handful of Imperial officers came to collect her moments later.
"We'll introduce you to your partner now," they said calmly, and she followed them onto the ship.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:35 pm
Saul was a bit taken aback by the fact that his partner was a woman, and so small of one too. He nodded to her, inclining his helmeted head slightly. When he spoke, it was that signature, intimidating tone that all Imperial helmets seemed to be set for.
"So you're here to help me huh? Well, enough talk then. Lets have at it."
He roughly seized her by the wrist and practically dragged her to the elevator, almost shoving her inside before stepping in and sealing the doors. Only then did he turn to face her again.
He spoke to her, harshly then, but what wasn't apparent was that it was a recorded speech. he was really speaking to her through his helmet comm unit, so as not to be overheard.
"I couldn't speak until we were alone. I'm your contact here, a deep cover agent sent to infiltrate the Empire and secure weapons and equipment. I've spent years of my life training for this, and finally, the opportunity came up. I have information on this mission, if you haven't yet been fully briefed. They told me several things I doubt they told you."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:49 pm
Persephone frowned. "You're a fool," she said softly. "How can you be so certain you can really trust me? I'm no idiot-- you can't be certain I'm really on your side." She tossed her hair out of her face as she spoke.
"For all either of us knows, our supposed "partner" could be a double agent-- did that ever occur to you?"
She switched suddenly to shouting to cover a pause in the recording, obviously intended to provide a gap for rebuttal. "I will do no such thing! I'm to be your equal on this mission, not your slave! I'll handle my end of things-- hopefully I can trust you to handle yours."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 7:58 pm
Saul's helmet sensors finally indicated that there was no listening devices in here, and he cut off the transmission and the recording.
"Excellent. We are clear, and the lower levels are clear of any as well, due to the high moisture and plant life. I have no clue as to what this mission could turn out to be, but a chance to get into the stores here would help us tremendously."
He checked his various weapons again, knowing that he carried plenty of firepower, but it just didn't seem like enough...cultists did odd things period, and if these guys took any kind of battle chems, they would take a lot to bring down...
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:07 pm
Persephone glared at him. "Did you just ignore everything I said? I. Don't. Trust. You."
She stepped away from him, putting as much distance between the two of them as was humanly possible in the tiny elevator car and ramming the stop button. "We're not going anywhere until you tell me everything you know about this mission... And who you are, exactly."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:11 pm
Saul shook his head slightly.
"They didn't tell you I was a double agent, did they? It would explain how I was able to talk to you via your wrist comm unit, yes? There is little else I can do, except tell you that this mission involves some kind of cultists, but what I do know is that they are extremely deadly, so unless they have the ability to make weapons down here, then something is very wrong."
He shrugged, his armor moving with his shoulders.
"There isn't much else to say, except if you don't trust me, fine, but I am on your side. What can I do to convince you that I am?", he said, frustration bleeding into his tone.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:16 pm
She paused thoughtfully. "Tell me something about myself," she said finally. "Something you could only know from reading my file. It's not completely foolproof, but it'll at least get a foot in the door for you."
She leaned back against the wall, pondering the mission. Cultists were rarely a good sign... Where there were cultists, there was usually something even more dangerous at hand. She could already tell this was going to be a pain.
"You still haven't told me who you are," she said pointedly.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:22 pm
Saul shrugged once more.
"Indeed, it is not a foolproof method, but it will do."
He told her of the details of her parents death, and how it had galvanized her hatred for the Empire.
"I personally have no issues with them, except the brutality towards dissident planets. My home world was incinerated by the military after it rose up in rebellion against the Empire."
He paused, then finally answered her question.
"My name is Saul."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:28 pm
"Well, I'm sure you know already, but I'm Persephone." She paused. "I suppose we can leave this elevator now, then."
She punched another button, and the elevator doors opened. "If anyone else asks, my name is Circe. That's what I've been using for the last few months."
With that, she stepped out of the elevator, surveying the area carefully.
"Nice ship."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:33 pm
Saul stepped out as well, back towards his ship.
"Indeed. You can see if you need additional weapons from my armory while I use my ship's facilities for a moment. Then we can use the lift to head to the lowest levels."
He unsealed his ship and they went aboard, and he left her in the armory while he entered his small, personal cabin.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:43 pm
Persephone looked around the armory briefly, then selected a pair of small plasma guns, primarily so she didn't seem rude-- she had her own weapons, yes, but she liked the selection in here a bit better; most of the weapons were newer and more powerful.
Once she had finished, she headed back to the lift to wait for Saul.
She still wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to trust him-- every bit of training she had ever undergone screamed at her not to, but her gut told her to ignore her training... She couldn't remember ever feeling this conflicted about a total stranger.
Her petite features settled into a frown as she leaned back against the wall, and she caught sight of Saul approaching.
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:51 pm
"Alright. Now we proceed onwards," he said.
They both entered the lift once again, and it descended quickly to the lower levels. The last three on the station had been sealed for many years, and were run down, dirty, and overgrown with odd plants, high heat, and hardly any working electricity or lighting.
The doors opened and a blast of heat hit them, along with the musty smells of decay and rotting vegetation. The sounds of bugs were also audible.
They stepped out, and the lift shut and went back upwards. They wouldn't be leaving until they died or finished the mission, Saul thought grimly.
He pulled out one of his sidearms, when he spied something in a clump of overgrowth. He stepped forward and tore at it, revealing a dirty yet serviceable drum-fed auto shotgun, probably dropped by the last ill-fated team. He also found a gun belt with pouches filled with shells, and strapped it on as well.
"Might as well", he said, returning tot he sealed doors, where the girl stood waiting.
"I made a lucky find. Lets get checking each room for signs of these cultist dogs."
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Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 8:57 pm
Persephone opened one of the doors and peeked inside.
"This one's clear," she said calmly. "I think." She stepped inside to double-check, and emerged a moment later. "Clear."
She was silent for a decidedly awkward moment before she spoke again. "So... Where are you from?"
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