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"There is sickness and despair everywhere, confusion and complete breakdown of order on every level. I just saw a stormtrooper in the hallway take off his helmet and put his blaster to his head. He was crying when he did it."

~ Dr. Zahara Cody, survivor of Imperial prison barge Purge

"We have received word of the Gold Rush's next mission."

Inquisitor Voyde stared distantly out into the black depths of space, his voice soft and calm. He did not need to turn in place to see Knight Thresher kneeling at the foot of the stairs- the shark's obedience was absolute, his devotion to Sith teachings certain. "I see. So then our informant has proven a reliable spy. Is she at risk of being discovered?"

"Apparently not," Thresher responded. "She was quite certain of the assignment you gave her, and has not indicated any resentment."

"Very well- where will the Gold Rush be assigned?"

"They have met with a vessel, the Republic frigate Inspired, to receive their next assignment. By now they will have left, but I feel it worth mentioning that it was the same frigate that was at Dakua," Thresher informed him.

"Curious. Something drew them back to the ship all the way from Corellia, rather than compel them to return to their Jedi Praxeum to be re-assigned. Perhaps there is something on that vessel worth interest," Voyde suggested shrewdly. "Regardless, to what task have they been employed?"

"They have discovered the Omega-Orr, my master."

Now the Inquistor turned, a leering grin on his features as he began to cackle. "Is that so? I wonder how ready they are to face the horrors that wait within- those unlike any they have experienced in the universe, I expect."

"Shall I have my team prepared to intercept them?" Thresher pressed.

Voyde merely smiled evilly and shook his head. "It is not necessary. Inquisitor Tooem will see to them. Among them, only the wayward knight, Locke, will know what to do- and he cannot expect that which the dark side shrouds, foolishly blinded as he is by the light. No... I doubt they will succeed- and if they do, it will not be without great cost."

Kajex had informed the crew they would be coming out of hyperspace within the next 30 minutes, though whether that meant he would bring them out or that they'd be actively pulled out of it as ambiguous. But Miles didn't ask, the message was clear- to get everything ready to go before it happened. Rook and Talrik had already circled to the armory and gotten a pair of TL-50 heavy repeaters- not the kind of weapon known for its precision, it was nevertheless handy in hallways. As Kajex had insisted everyone carry a sidearm, the Miraluka had passed out reliable blaster pistols to the crew (even to Locke, who was a notoriously poor shot). The only equipment he had not yet delivered were the explosives, primarily because he trusted nobody but himself, Talrik and Kajex to handle them properly, and he was still working on them.

"I'd no idea the Jedi were so well-prepared, to be carrying the equipment needed to blow a starship apart from the inside out," a voice emanated from the armory hatch. Without even turning, Miles was able to 'see' their temporary crew member, Liam, leaning on the hatch frame with a look of interest.

The ex-soldier chuckled as he set another explosive to detonate at a certain frequency. "Gotta be prepared for anything. Did you need a weapon or other piece of equipment?"

"Not really, no," Liam answered stepping in. "Just never got a word in with you, I found it a bit interesting that Kajex took in a near-human crewmember. He's usually all for non-humans, I just wondered how you came to be on this ship."

"Well to be fair, it's generally the non-humans that get the shorter end of the stick, so that's probably why Kaj has played host to them," Miles answered, finishing another charge and setting it aside. "He got stuck with us mostly because of Locke. I wouldn't be here if Locke hadn't chosen me as his aide-de-camp back when we were part of the Imperial Remnant."

"How'd you get that assignment?" the CorpSec officer asked, seating himself on the opposite side of the workbench Miles was using.

"A combination of sticking it to my old man, plenty of years of Imperial service and being a decent enough guy to impress Locke when I was assigned as a lieutenant on a mock asteroid base. Saving his life helped," he added with a smile. "I'm not big on Force-training, so I don't do it, but Locke has this idea that people forge bonds when they do somethin' significant for other folks, something I kinda believe in."

"It would explain much about Kajex," Liam agreed, hefting one of the charges carefully and examining it. "Is that usual for their species? Kajex used to tell me he never knew what he was, and now all of the sudden he has a brother."

"Now that's a story and a half," Miles replied with a laugh. "Neither of them even knew about the other till about a year ago, and they weren't able to find others of their kind until about two weeks ago. But to answer your question, yeah- apparently making nice with other folks is just a part of their nature, though it kinda helps that they saved each other's lives."

"Mm, if I remember right Kajex has a penchant for being exceptionally close to people who do that for him," Liam intoned. "I suppose that's how he and the Matriarch's daughter hooked up?"

Miles frowned. "Yeah, actually. How'd you know--"

Liam chuckled humorlessly. "Matriarch Bast and her family is very well known to the CSA- Syrra's name is not unknown, though she's been a non-factor. Bast, however, was among those who tried to strongarm favorable amendments into the treaty between the CSA and Trianii-controlled worlds, even to the point of skirting the line concerning what is and isn't permissible to their culture and religion. For example, an edict of their old gods demands an eye for an eye against aggressors, but not against non-combatants; Matriarch Bast attempted to force through additional language in the treaty that would allow for the targeting of CSA official's families and friends for enslavement or execution, in retaliation for any CSA encroachments or violations, citing their holy documents as a basis."

"I'm gonna guess that wasn't exactly a widespread interpretation, yeah?"

"Indeed- it was written out by her own people, they were too uncomfortable with the potential for abuse. Don't get misunderstand, the CSA has wronged many sentient non-humans in the past, the Trianii included, and their anger and animosity is not ill-founded. Matriarch Bast, however, is a different story altogether; I would mark her as being just as xenophobic and racist as the worst of the CSA," Liam cautioned as he set the explosive down.

"Yeah, Kajex told us she was less than impressed with him- even took a shot at his dads."

Liam nodded. "I'm well-aware of Captain Surnahm's adoptive parentage, and Bast has made her opinion of same-sex unions quite clear in her addresses to the public. One stipulation that did make it into the treaty was that the Trianii are allowed to reject any CSA officials that are brought in for whatever reason- which makes trade agreements and investigations difficult." He sighed. "It's the primary reason I've been able to make little headway in my job, despite understanding their language and culture better than most- Matriarch Bast monitors and reviews every officer that makes landfall on Ekibo, and as I've not gone to any great lengths to keep my... 'personal proclivities' a secret, I'm rebuffed nearly every time I'm sent there."

Miles paused at that, quickly catching on to the subtle admission. "Your taste in 'companions' offended her, I take it?"

"Well, the added benefit of working with Kajex is that we have also saved each other's lives," Liam replied with a wan smile, "which inevitably led to me having a better understanding of who I am. One upside to the CSA is that they have a healthy attitude to homosexual relationships- though they're less tolerant of interspecies relationships, a factor I did have to hide from my superiors when... well..." The blonde-haired human trailed off, looking slightly unsettled with a smile.

"Say no more- Kaj and Locke are pretty fluffy when they get down to it," Miles replied with a grin.

"So... you've...?"

"Both," Miles clarified. "And Talrik. They're sweet guys, it's a shame all three are taken."

Liam arched an eyebrow. "I... see. Are they generally that open?"

Miles laughed as he finished another charge. "Dunno what it was like on this ship when it was just you and Kaj, but we're just one big happy fuckin' family these days. Myself included, since Kajex pays me." He regarded the human for a moment. "How about you?" he asked. "Got a guy waiting for you?"

The CorpSec officer shook his head. "My work makes the time I can devote towards relationships rather limited. Add that most CorpSec personnel aren't to my tastes and being a CorpSec officer encourages unaffiliated humans to pass me up on the assumption that I must be a racist, authoritarian killjoy, and... well, I suppose you get the idea."

Miles winced. "Sounds rough. Even working for the Empire, I had my opportunities, even with non-humans." He smiled encouragingly. "Wouldn't give up too soon, though- you never know."

Liam smiled back. "I suppose you're right. So... need a hand with priming the explosives?"

"... Are you able to?"

"Another benefit to working with Kajex- you inevitably learn a couple of extra tricks," he replied.

The Miraluka laughed and passed a few charges to him. "Be my guest- we got about fifteen minutes left as it is."

"What should we expect when it happens?" Syrra asked as she slid into the co-pilot's seat, quickly fitting on a headset and glancing at Kajex. "I was asleep the last time I was on a ship that came out of hyperspace too fast." A memory of pain and fire flickered in her head as she recalled her close shave with death on the Truly Sorrier over half a year ago.

The wolf grimaced, strapping himself into the seat- something Syrra realized he never did. "It's going to get very bumpy, kitten. You're going to want to put the harness on and clench your sphincter." His paws worked along the console, ending only when he flicked a switch to his side. "Everybody ready?" Kajex asked, his voice crackling through the ships speaker system.

Several affirmative responses drifted from various parts of the ship- Talrik, Miles and Rook had taken positions at the top, belly and port-side turrets as a precaution, while Keris waited in the lounge. Locke was seated behind Syrra working communications, having donned a headset. He nodded to Kajex, grabbing the console for extra precaution. Liam, meanwhile, sat behind Kajex, looking hesitant but prepared.

"Should be within the next minute, brace yourselves!"

Based on the coordinates Liam had given them, Kajex had managed a rough estimation on when they would be yanked out of hyperspace by the Interdictor's gravity field, confirmed by by the ships computers. It had given them a full evening of rest and discussion on how to approach the situation, which would start with what would happen once they arrived. The moment came immediately; less than half a minute after Kajex had given the warning, the Gold Rush jostled violently and several emergency lights flashed on the console as the vessel automatically cut back to sublight. In a matter of moments the infinite expanse of hyperspace fell away, streaks of starlight returning to bright, stationary dots. Kajex swore as the ship lurched forward, the seat harness sparing him from banging his head against the flight yoke as they entered realspace once again.

Syrra was spared from a similar fate, bracing against the console to keep upright successfully until the shaking quelled and the ship settled down into a smooth flight. A sigh broke out as Kajex unstrapped himself and glanced behind him. "Hey Liam, be a pal and tell me if the ship suffered any damage just now."

"On it," the human replied as he turned his attention to his screen.

"Does that happen often?" Syrra asked, swallowing.

"For natural celestial bodies you can expect a rougher exit out of hyperspace, but Interdictor-class gravity wells can't replicate the effect perfectly. Usually you'll only get a loose landing strut or missing comm dish, but if your ship isn't properly maintained the entire thing can end up falling apart." He smiled. "But that's why CEC builds 'em tough."

"Ship is fine," Liam informed him.

"And everyone else?" Kajex asked.

"Talrik- I'm good."

"Miles- little queasy, but I'll deal."

"Rook- what were you ik'aad'e so worried about, that was nothin'!"

"Keris- me and your weird-ass pet lizard are fine, Kaj."

"And... there it is," Kajex said quietly, as the ship dipped downward bringing the cruiser into view.

Syrra had taken time in the Jedi Praxeum to study different ships, with Kajex's help. Though they never expected to be in any kind of firefight using the Gold Rush, the Trianii had put effort into her lessons, partly because they were interesting and mostly because Kajex made the lessons more entertaining and easier to learn. But whatever amusement she had experienced during those lessons was meaningless now that she got a look at the Omega-Orr; Star Destroyers were not unfamiliar to the former Trianii Ranger, yet some quality of the sight of the cruiser unsettled her as they drew ever closer to the vessel. Chills ran through her spine and caused her to shiver as she turned her focus towards aiding Kajex guide the ship onwards.

"Don't worry, kitten... I feel it too," the wolf said grimly, frowning at the warship. "Something about it doesn't seem right. Locke, you ready?"

There was a pause as Locke checked his readouts. "No perceived interference, no broadcasts; but they do have a jamming signal up for both known Remnant and Republic-aligned frequencies. I'll send out a hailing signal, on your orders, brother."

"Well, our ship is technically unaligned. We're well within short-range communications- let's say hello."

A click sounded as Kajex slowed the ship down a bit, just as Locke started to speak. "I-ISD Omega-Orr, this is Locke Surnahm, communications officer aboard the Jedi vessel Gold Rush. You are currently in Republic space, we request a word with the commanding officer concerning your presence here, over."

Silence.

Kajex frowned, bringing the ship's engines up again and approaching- the ISD did not move or react in any way. "No change."

"I'm reading no alteration in power readouts- they haven't energized their weapons yet," Liam informed him. "We're within striking distance, if they have any intention to attack then now is the time for them to do it."

Locke tried again. "I-ISD Omega-Orr, please respond. We are authorized to provide Jedi support if you require it- should you need an escort out of space or a communications line to the Imperial Remnant, we can patch you through, over."

"Kajex, this doesn't seem right," Syrra said abruptly, glancing around either side of the viewport and checking their scanners. "The CSA was missing ships, correct?"

Kajex nodded. "Yeah?"

"Then why is this thing the only one here?" she asked, continuing to look around- she could not pick up any ships on any instrument before her.

Miles' voice crackled through their headsets. "Syrra's right, I'm not even seeing bits of debris anywhere. If there were ever CSA ships stopped by this destroyer, then where did they go?"

Syrra glanced out the cockpit again- the vessel was close enough that it wouldn't be difficult to spot movement in any of the ship's viewports, were the lighting active. Yet as Kajex brought the ship level with the Destroyer at their starboard side, she noted the that the vessel had been switched to emergency lighting, a dim red glow evident in most of the viewports.

Kajex's voice brought her attention back to their mission. "Alright, let's get a couple of scans going: Liam, see if you can get a fix on what cargo they might be carrying, and if there are any life signs; Miles, tell me if your Force sight is picking up anything weird; Locke, keeping hailing them, let me know if they put out an answer."

Minutes passed as they circled around the ship slowly, silence lingering among the crew apart from Locke's repeated hailing attempts. Aside from the emergency lighting the vessel appeared to be in perfect shape, with active shields and gravity wells still functioning, while the command bridge showed no signs of movement at all. The only thing that seemed to be missing were the vessel's escape pods. The tension was such that when Syrra's headset crackled to life and Miles spoke through it, the abrupt noise made her jump.

"Kajex, I can't see a damn thing in there," Miles said, sounding worried. "It's like being back on Dakua, I can't really sense what's going on past the hull."

Syrra and Kajex traded significant looks. "If that's the case... that suggests a dark side presence," the Trianii responded. "Which means Sith or Dark Jedi involvement."

"And they're still not responding," Locke added, looking slightly frustrated. "No answer, comms aren't picking up any alternative frequencies- nothing."

"Got something," Liam said getting everyone's attention. "Looks like a few faint life signs around the forebelly section, but the signal isn't reliable. I can't say what's causing it, doesn't appear like your sensors are malfunctioning."

"Cargo?" Kajex asked.

"Nothing in the holds or hangars, but there appear to be modifications made to the medical section, where the readings are centered. They aren't clear, yet it looks like they made additions to the space it uses."

The wolf sighed, leaning back in his seat. "I don't like this. I thought that coming here with Miles in tow would give us a better idea of what's going on in that ship, but if the dark side is clouding us from getting a peek..."

"We'll have to board it," Syrra finished for him with a sigh, nodding. "If there are life signs onboard and they're in any sort of trouble, Imperial or CSA, we should help them if we're able. We should at least take a look to assess the situation and go from there." With a brief glance out the viewport she spotted the belly-side hangar, pointing to it. "The docks aren't sealed, magcon field is still up- it should be safe to step in and take a peek, right?"

"We've knocked on the door and buzzed the hatch, Kajex," Locke agreed. "If we're expected to progress, this might be the only way."

The wolf Sentinel let out a high-pitched whine. "I don't want to say it, but..."

"Trust me, Kajex," Syrra said, bringing the ship around and shuddering, "I'm fairly certain that we all have a bad feeling about this."

But for all their worrying they had landed in the hangar without incident, despite the minimal lighting. Half-expecting to struggle in finding space for the Gold Rush to set down, Kajex was surprised to see that not a single vessel of any kind remained in the overhead TIE Fighter racks, nor repair equipment strewn about the floor. Despite the swift landing, however, it took everyone an extra ten minutes to get ready- nobody said a word, but it was evident to the Sentinel that there was a considerable amount of apprehension among them all. Once everyone was completely ready and at the hatch, he turned to them, hesitating before speaking.

"Fallback point is here at the Gold Rush. I'm going to lock this ship down, everyone here knows the code to get in. Keris, Talrik, Rook- you're with me. Syrra, Miles, Liam- you're going with Locke. Slice past any hatch you need to, but no more. If you see any movement or survivors, call them out and get them to stand down- Locke, dominate their minds if you need to."

"Will do," the white wolf agreed, holding his pike to the side.

"Primary objective is to find survivors and get them off this ship if we're able to; second objective is to find out what the hell is going on. Locke will take his team to the fore section of the ship and investigate the life signs we picked up, while everyone else will make for the bridge and see if we can get some info out of their systems." He activated the ramp. "Above all, stay in constant communication, via headset or the Force. We clear?" Everyone nodded and he steeled himself, turning to face the descent down into the hangar. With a sense of lingering worry, he stepped down into the hangar.

Kajex had always known ship hangars to be cold, a result of the ship's magnetic fields being superb at holding in breathable atmosphere, but terrible for retaining ship heat. Yet the chill he experienced as he looked around the silent, forebodingly dark facility was something deeper than could be achieved through uncomfortable ambient temperature- even wearing his longcoat and covered head to toe in natural fur, he shivered. The dim interior did nothing to help, and even with natural night-sight it was hard to discern features and colors on the floor. There was an unnaturalness in the air, a foul scent that seemed to smell of death and decay, and when he turned to lock the ship down he could see Talrik and Keris with wrinkled snouts, wincing at the same odor.

"Smells like blood," Keris stated quietly. "Like... a lot of dried blood."

The floor was pitch black, as was typical of most Imperial hangars, yet there appeared to be no visible stains on the sporadic white markings. "Sabers out, folks," Kajex suggested, drawing one of his from his hip- three sharp cracks filled the air and echoed through the hangar as three shafts of sapphire, silver-blue and golden light illuminated the immediate area. Keris alone had not drawn hers, and when Kajex turned with a raised eyebrow she shrugged.

"My weapon's red, wouldn't be able to spot a bloodstain very well with it. Besides," she added, her ears folding and fear on her facial features as she pointed in front of him, "it's not that hard to miss." They turned to face where she was pointing, spotting several long streaks of dark maroon leading from nearby, stretching in the direction of the nearest entryway into the rest of the ship.

Rook was the first to react, stepping forward with a frown while Locke followed behind, holding his pike out above the stains to give her more light to work with. With little hesitation she put a paw onto the marks and wiped at it, removing some of the dried stain in the process; she peered at her fingers, then at the stain, eyes tracing along towards the hatch. "Over a week old- janitors sure as hell aren't doin' their jobs, assuming they're aren't dead. Looks like whoever left this was dragged alive."

"What makes you think that?" Keris asked, shuddering as she refused to look at the streak.

"Ain't a pool of blood," Rook pointed out, getting back to her feet and wiping the dried blood on her leather half-skirt. "Smear stays consistent the entire way. If it'd been a dead guy bein' dragged and they didn't bother cleanin' any of this shit up, there'd be a bigger bloodstain startin' from wherever they fell, gettin' thinner as it leads up into the ship, if not vanishing entirely. But the smear's a bit thick the entire way, so he had a workin' ticker to pump blood with- whoever left this behind bled from here to the hatch."

"Doubt it was to take him to medical," Talrik suggested skeptically.

"Not exactly standard Imperial procedure," Miles agreed.

"Mission is still the same," Kajex stated, grimacing as he held his lightsaber up. "Just means we'll need to prepare to take hostile action if necessary. Divide up and keep in contact, like I said."

"Come here, you," Syrra said softly, deactivating her weapon and embracing the wolf close, sharing a kiss. "Stay safe, love."

"You too, kitten," he replied with a smile, before glancing up at Locke, who had done the same with Keris. "Keep her safe, bro."

"You have my word- do the same for Keris, and yourself."

The Sentinel watched them as they left, unable to shake the feeling of worry from his mind as he turned his attention to his team. "You gonna be alright, Keris?" he asked, noticing that she was shivering.

"The smell's putting me off," she admitted weakly. "Reminds me of Zorba's whorehouse. But I can deal," she said resolutely, taking in slow, steady breaths.

Kajex nodded and led the way, taking a brief glance back at Locke's team just as they entered through another hatch- his eyes locked with Syrra for a moment, the Trianii smiling reassuringly and nodding, before she disappeared into the ship with the rest of her team.

Much as she hated the idea of splitting up from her fiancee, Syrra had steeled herself for the moment and committed to it, trying not to focus on the fact that he would not be easy to get to if things somehow went south. Still, she found some solace in the older white wolf leading them, as Locke glanced and smiled encouragingly at her. She smiled back, knowing full well the former Sith Knight turned Jedi Guardian would have her back and stay true to his word in keeping her covered, as she would cover him. It was even easy to forget that she was grouped together with a CorpSec officer, though every now and again Liam would come into her field of view and she'd have to restrain herself from letting out a frustrated sigh.

But her concerns with Liam were quickly tossed into the cargo hold as the minutes wore on and they crept slowly through the darkened corridors; much of the interior lighting had failed despite the ship showing no sign of damaged power systems. It was not difficult for Syrra and Locke to peer into the stretching darkness ahead of them, but Miles was still having minor trouble with his Force Sight, and Liam had no optical advantage to speak of beyond a simple rifle-mounted flashlight. They nevertheless were able to keep up well, flanking the two Jedi silently.

To say there were obvious signs of prior chaos on the vessel would be false, though before long minor giveaways appeared to them, whether it be a discarded article of clothing or stormtrooper armor, a stray unattended weapon, or a few streaks of what appeared to be blood in the otherwise clean hallways. Every now and again the vessel seemed to groan and creak, echoes of the sounds reverberating in the walls and floors despite the fact that the ship seemed to be in good shape. It was Miles who supplied the answer.

"That'll be the ventilation," he muttered quietly- even with a subdued voice, the relative silence around them was such that he might as well have been shouting, to say nothing of the fact that his words echoed in Syrra's earpiece. "Something's either got it clogged or it's been working too hard."

"Would that explain that incredibly offensive aroma we're experiencing?" Liam asked with disgust heavy in his voice.

"More than likely," Miles confirmed uneasily. "Damn stench seems like it's getting stronger as we go this way- how're you holding up, Syrra?"

The Trianii shuddered. "Hating the smell, dealing with it anyway. Smells worse than a dead herdbeast in the summer on Ekibo," she remarked, powering through and keeping her lightsaber up. "What's it like on your end, love?"

Kajex voice came through their headsets. "Found some turbolifts, but they're all inactive. I gave them a once-over with mechu-deru, but they don't seem to be malfunctioning; just... offline."

"This is creepy," Keris added worriedly. "It's like there's nothing wrong with this ship except that it's dark, it smells gross and it has parts of it locked down."

"Heads up," Locke hissed. "We've an obstacle ahead."

Syrra followed the white wolf's gaze to what had, at a distance, appeared to be a blast door; yet as they drew nearer she could make out the shapes of several heavy cargo containers filling one side of the wide corridor to the other, with modest gaps between them that the Trianii identified as a sort of orifice through which people could fire blasters- an abandoned rifle jutted out from one of these holes.

"Kajex, seen anything unusual yet?" Locke asked as Syrra and Liam stepped forward, peering cautiously into the hall obstruction.

"Aside from signs of brief firefights and a few bloodsmears, no," the Sentinel answered. "What'd you find?"

"A crude barricade made from cargo containers," he replied, glancing back down the corridor. "But no signs of a firefight, the corridor it's facing lacks any sort of blaster scorches."

Syrra peered into the gaps more closely- it was with a sharp gasp and a Trianii curse that she drew back, hissing fearfully. "Locke, other side!" He whipped around in alarm and hurried to them, leaning against the barricade and peering in with her, Liam and Miles.

A scene of past carnage met their eyes as they looked within, with several bodies strewn about on the other side. Syrra stared in horror at the state of them- it was clear they had been dead for some time, just as it was clear that they had not passed easily. One of the closest bodies had been literally ripped in half at the torso, desiccated organs and gore protruding out his ribcage and staining the immediate area; though worse was the frozen look of intense agony on what remained of his face- he seemed to have died suffering from the bisection. Another body, this one female, was missing a hand that appeared to have been severed by a sharp instrument, yet this was not the injury that had killed the woman- what had likely finished her was the blaster shot to her head that had resulted in her skull shattering open and blowing apart her brain. It appeared the bisected man had been ended the same way, fragments of his cranium scattered around.

The Trianii staggered back, taking in a steadying breath. "Kajex... we have bodies here."

The Sentinel cursed. "What does it look like?"

"It's bad," Locke said grimly, as Liam and Miles started shifting around crates, Syrra aiding them by telekinetically lifting them into the air to reduce their weight- there was no reason to make too much noise as they did it. It took only moving one of the larger containers out of the way for them to gain access, Locke the first to step into the barricade with his pike held forward. The silver-blue blade at the end put out enough light for them to survey the gory scene. "I've never seen violence like this before- a blaster bolt is meant to be clean, precise, but... this man here was torn apart."

"How long have they been that way?" Kajex asked.

Miles knelt next to the dead woman, who appeared to be an Imperial officer. "I'd say over a week, like Rook figured from that bloodstain earlier," he answered as he started checking her for identification. "This one here is a Lieutenant Commander, she was probably in charge of this little blockade. Got about..." he paused as they looked around, all counting the number of dead, "... thirty bodies in total. Most of them are Imperial stormtroopers, one or two officers, but the others are wearing brown uniforms I don't recognize."

Syrra's ears flattened, spotting no fewer than five such armored men. "I'd recognize the armor of CorpSec pigs anywhere. These are CSA Security Police officers, or 'Espos', as we call them."

"She's right," Liam confirmed with a sigh. "Looks like they may have been working in tandem with the Imperials here, at least to survive. But I'm not seeing any sign of what brought them on board in the first place."

"Taken prisoner?" Talrik suggested over the comm.

"There would have to be a lot of them," Liam replied. "Most of the missing ships were Marauder-class, about 190 personnel on each vessel, but these are the only two we've seen- and they aren't restrained," he added.

"We still have a lot of ship to cover," Locke reminded them. "We've only been here forty-five minutes, we can't have expected to see-"

"-To see what, Locke?" Syrra asked skeptically. "Anybody? On a ship with an average crew of forty thousand? We should have seen somebody by this point, some patrol or maintenance crew or even an astromech droid- but this place looks as abandoned as it feels."

"The escape pods were missing," Liam started to say.

"Those pods have enough room for only ten people, maximum," Miles countered. "There are only twenty of them in total, and meant only for the senior staff- the rest of the crew is expendable. Syrra's right, by this point we should have seen someone else- assuming there's anybody to find."

"Could be the crew escaped on the Espo ships," Rook suggested through the comm. "Would explain why there weren't any of them around when we got here."

"And returned to Imperial-controlled sectors?" Miles said skeptically. "Maybe... but then why didn't they come back to get this ship repaired? That's assuming there's anything wrong with it, all the scans said it was fine."

"Well, we aren't going to know until we get to the bridge," Kajex said resolutely. "Hopefully they'll have scanned any stopped CSA trips and logged their hyperspace trajectories, and we can at least check their mission logs to see what they were doing way out here."

Syrra knelt beside a few other bodies propped against the wall opposite the crate barricade. All five of them had suffered some manner of wounds, a few of them missing limbs that seemed to be surgically removed rather than torn or blown off- but most baffling was that they had all been shot in the head. As she shifted in to get a closer look, her boot bumped against a discarded blaster pistol. Finding this curious she picked up the weapon and examined it closely- it still possessed a full charge. "I don't get it. Why were all of these bodies shot in the head? Whatever they were defending themselves from, they had the weapons to do it." And now as she looked, she noticed some of the bodies still held blasters in their hands, limp at their sides. There were single, blackened holes in each of their temples, no less, on the sides to which they had held their weapon. The scene clicked in her head and she stood abruptly.

"... These people ended their own lives," she said quietly.

"What?"

She pointed to their discarded pistols. "Some of these men and women are holding blasters- they committed suicide. Even the ones that don't look like they did had their brains blown out."

"That doesn't make any sense," Locke stated, frowning. "If it were to spare themselves from something... then what was it?"

"Might want to take a look at some of these, boss," Miles said abruptly, waving Locke over. Curious, Syrra followed to where the Miraluka was kneeling, having turned over a pair of corpses. It was immediately clear what drew his attention to them, as what remained of their faces was gaunt and pale, with decomposition having set in much more heavily than the rest of the corpses. Ahead were a slew of other bodies that looked just as torn apart, if not worse. "These guys were in far worse shape, but most of them were killed the same way. In fact, it's almost like whatever attacked them came from this direction," he added, pointing at the far wall- multiple blast points had been burned into the metal plating. "Like they put the barricade up in the wrong hallway."

"I guess that gives us a direction to investigate- or avoid," Liam added. "Finding survivors should still be our top priority, though. You guys are the Jedi- your call."

Syrra nodded. "We should probably keep moving- we're not far from the medical facility, are we?"

Miles shook his head. "Give it about fifteen minutes at the pace we're moving, we'll get there- what do you say Locke?"

The Jedi Guardian said nothing for a few moments, fear on his face as he stepped away from the bodies. With an expression of dawning horror, he held his pike up as if ready to attack. "No... those fools couldn't have started it up again..."

Syrra's eyes narrowed. "'Started' what? What are you talking about, Locke?"

Before he could answer, a howl erupted from a distance behind them, back down the corridor they had traversed; the sound was nothing like Syrra had ever heard in her life, a chilling scream that seemed as if every nightmare she possessed as a child had been given a voice and injected into reality. Moments later several more howls erupted, along with the thumping sound of heavy boots jogging through the long corridor. From her position, the Trianii could barely make out movement some hundred meters away, approaching rapidly.

"Anybody else hear that?" Kajex asked, sounding unnerved.

"Multiple contacts incoming!" Miles barked as he and Liam sprinted to the barricade and took up firing positions. "On your orders, Locke!"

The Guardian grimaced as he drew his own pistol. "I'm not going to be able to get them to stand down! Open up on them and aim for the head!"

"Locke, w-wait!"

But Syrra found herself at a loss for words as the corridor erupted into chaos- within moments, Miles and Liam had filled the corridor with a barrage of blaster bolts from their heavy repeaters, the din preventing her from issuing an alternative suggestion of diplomacy. After several seconds, however, she wondered if Locke had indeed made the right call; despite the stream of firepower the two were putting out, the mass of movement at the end of the corridor showed no signs of slowing down. Fearful as she was at the moment, she found herself focusing, trying to enhance her eyesight through the Force to see who was approaching them.

She regretted it almost immediately. What she had mistaken at first for emaciated and injured Imperial soldiers had in fact been much, much worse. Several of the runners up front took direct hits to the torso, yet continued to stagger forward; two or three took blaster bolts to the legs, their limbs blown away from their bodies, and yet they still crawled forward; many of them had at least one arm missing, and a few who did not failed to react as their limbs were removed. Those who were unscathed by the assault still looked as if they'd been torn apart in some measure, faces gaunt and flesh decaying. The Trianii reeled as she noticed a few with wounds that exposed their rib cages. Everything she was witnessing seemed an impossibility.

They should have been dead- and the fact that she could feel no life in them only confirmed that they were.

A cold grip on her upper arm brought her back to reality with a wrench. She yelped, finding herself face-to-face with one of the bodies Miles had pointed out. Things clicked into place as he bent forward with his maw open- why he was moving when he should be dead; why most of the other bodies around them weren't moving; and why the ones that were inert had been ones whose brains hadn't been fried. The corpse's teeth were a half-inch away from the Trianii's throat when she finally reacted, crying out as she telekinetically tossed the undead abomination away from her.

With unsteady feet she staggered back, watching as the corpse flew into another standing undead construct- there were seven of them, all having reacted to the howling in the corridor. As one, they moved toward Syrra. Despite fear taking hold of her rapidly beating heart, she raised her weapon and struck. The first two went down easily as she slashed through each one across the chest, felling them swiftly enough for her to meet the next three. Through the corner of her eye she noticed that the first two were still moving actively, and in the moment it took her to decipher this she changed tack, sidestepping the first monstrosity's lumbering swing and decapitating her, then spinning and slicing through the tops of the next two's skulls. All three bodies fell and did not move.

But two more remained, and as she stepped back she felt one of the previous abominations grab her left leg. With a strength she had not expected it pulled her down sharply, the feline crying out in pain as she felt a crack in her ankle. Flailing in a panic she struck her attacker in the temple, ending him- but 3 more undead remained, bearing down on her quickly. Out of reflex she thrust her free paw out and sent the two standing corpses flying down the hall. The third one lashed out, grabbing her right arm and wrenching her off balance. With the Trianii unable to turn her blade to her attacker, the corpse snarl and threw his face forward, sinking his teeth deep into the Jedi Padawan's wrist.

Syrra screamed out in pain as the abomination bit into her arm with enough force to draw blood and lose her grip on her weapon, the hilt clattering away. With adrenaline running through her she grabbed the corpse by the throat and snarled, getting to her feet and pulling up her attacker even as he continued to struggle, trying to tear muscle away from bone. With tremendous strength she slammed the corpse into the wall, crying out as it refused to let go. She wound her free paw up, ready to bring her fist against the other side of the corpse's head.

It never came.

It happened faster than Syrra could feel it. She had, for only a split second, seen a silver-blue light flash in front of her face, followed by the sharp sound of a lightsaber cleaving through flesh and bone. The first thing she felt was a fleeting, sharp pain, followed by lack of weight in her right paw, throwing the dazed feline off balance for a moment as she limped back. A chill ran through her spine as a feeling of deep loss penetrated her- it took only a glance for her to notice what was missing.

Her own right paw still remained in the corpse's gnawing mouth.

Pain overtook her as she dropped to her knees, finally looking down at what remained; Locke's saber strike had sliced through her forearm cleanly, just below elbow, leaving a cauterized stump. She shook, gaping at the injury in disbelief, unable to scream. Shock overtook her senses, such that she barely noticed the voices in her headset, Locke fighting several abominations with his weapon, or Miles yelling out to pull back. Too weak to move or do anything but shudder uncontrollably, she felt herself being pulled away to safety from behind, by someone whose face she could not see. After a few moments she felt herself being propped against the wall, face-to-face with Liam. He was saying something, shouting at her that she couldn't understand- all sense of recognition had left her, leaving a sense of numbness behind, such that even the red emergency lights looked strangely gray. There was a brief pause in which all she could do was stare at him; in what seemed to be desperation, he wound up and brought his palm across her muzzle sharply with an audible crack.

The act jolted all her sense back to place, color returning to her vision and adrenaline flowing through her veins again- now she could hear Kajex shouting at them to get the hell out of there, to get to safety, that they were being attacked as well. Liam was shouting at her once again, shaking her shoulders.

"C'mon, Ranger! We need you on your feet if we're going to get out of here! Can you walk!?"

She blinked, then shook her head. "N-no... my ankle, I think it's broken," she whimpered.

With a growling curse Liam leaned in and put his arm around the Trianii's waist, her uninjured arm over his shoulder as he supported her. "Locke, I got her- let's get the fuck out of here!!!"

The Jedi Guardian was behind them, putting down several moving corpses in their way before disengaging from the fight and getting to Syrra's other side as Liam began to move her. Hot tears flowed down her face as she glanced at the white wolf, partly from the pain of stepping down on her broken ankle, but mostly at the tremendous loss she had just suffered.

"Locke... my arm... why...?"

Locke looked torn, pain registering on his features as he gripped around her waist more tightly. "I'm sorry, Syrra... but it was the only way I could safeguard your life. Now is not the time, we must move!"

Partially lifted from either side, Syrra marveled at how much stronger Locke was, dimly aware that he was using the Force to augment his strength- a few times, he had to slow his pace just to allow Liam to catch up. The Trianii's eyes darted around, the severity of their situation causing her to flinch at every new sight and sound within vicinity. While she briefly considered asking why they weren't returning to the Gold Rush, the answer became quickly apparent as Miles slowed down and started firing down the corridor again- they had been cut off, the path back no longer accessible.

It would have been reasonable to feel fear at that moment- but all she felt was loss and desire to survive. She wanted to see Kajex again, and it was in him in mind that she mewled desperately.

"Kajex... I need you..."

He had not failed to hear her plea. In any other situation, he would have upended mountains and destroyed forests to get back to her- but he had three others to worry about at the moment, all of them engaged in combat.

It had started with the howl. Kajex was almost certain that Locke and the rest could hear it, and he had only just asked if they had when Miles reported multiple contacts and all he could hear for the next few minutes was blasterfire on their end, despite the Sentinel trying to get them to give him a report. That stopped when he was forced to deal with their own hostiles. They had appeared from behind, rushing down the length of corridor some dozens of meters away, yet Talrik had been on the ball and without waiting for an order he opened fire and felled their attackers as they came. Trusting the fox's sharp eyes and ability to assess threats as accurately as he could shoot, Kajex had drawn his pistol and added his own firepower to the mix, as did Rook and Keris.

Yet it wasn't long before they, too, could detect something very wrong with their attackers- most had been wounded before stepping into the fray, some of them so damaged it was a wonder they were still alive. This is when it occurred to the wolf that they were not alive, undead monstrosities that did not seem to know the concept of pain or damage. He glanced at Keris briefly, noticing the look of horror on her face as their fought- Rook and Talrik wore similar expressions as their weapons seemed to be incapable of ending the undead mob.

Then he felt it- a tremendous pain that felt like a cold knife had been jammed into his spine. Syrra had just been injured badly. A brief vision flashed before his eyes as he could see the ghostly image of a ravaged ghoul biting into the Trianii's wrist, witnessing the scene as if he were sharing her body with him. He staggered back, breathing raggedly as he attempted to center himself, but another scene flashed into his view- that of Locke's lightsaber swinging down over Syrra's arm and leaving behind a cauterized stump.

The wolf reeled at the scene, tears in his eyes as he struggled to comport himself. Yet his distress was not ignored, as Keris turned away from the fray and helped him up to his feet, pain in her eyes.

"I know, love- Syrra's hurt, I felt it too! But we need you right now if we're gonna survive this!" she shouted desperately, clinging to him and waiting for him, as if he could solve this predicament.

And it dawned on him that he could.

He was a natural at it, he realized, perhaps because the Kanj'Isha bonded so easily to other, relied on each other for strength and survival- a true pack species that needed everyone to function as a team. Shifting his fear away from his heart and mind he steeled himself, able to focus on raising his pistol and squeeze a few shots off while concentrating on everyone he cared about. Even in the stifling darkness, the light within him penetrated through the durasteel hallways and filled Locke, Liam, Miles and Syrra. The will to survive and emerge victorious entered their spirits as they fought, sharpening their focus, their aim, their strength and their determination. Talrik and Rook shifted their aim slightly, focusing on the heads of their enemies- they began popping open like fireworks as their repeated bolts slammed into the corpse's skulls. Even Keris was firing true, kneecapping the closest ghouls with precision she'd never before demonstrated.

"RUN!"

Despite the change in their favor, Kajex still possessed the mindset to know when it was time to get moving. Now empowered with the wolf's battle meditation, everyone started moving with great speed, easily outpacing their pursuers as they sprinted through the halls behind Kajex. An idea came to him and he imparted it to Miles and Talrik- he felt them both pause for the briefest of moments, dropping a beeping metallic object to the floor before catching up. Moments later, a distant explosion echoed through the halls, followed by a louder, much closer explosion that tore through the hordes of ghouls still following them. The once silent halls now erupted with sharp klaxons as the thermal detonator ruptured a gas line and caused a breakout of fire. The temporary boon was doused by the ship's anti-fire countermeasures, the hallway behind them flooding with a cloudy halon solution.

Knowing full well the explosives would only buy them a short window of time to flee, Kajex sprinted onwards, checking every few moments to make sure everyone was alright. Talrik and Rook stopped every few dozen feet to turn and fire on their pursuers, keeping the gap wide as the fallen bodies caused the others to trip and stumble; Miles appeared to be doing the same thing hundreds of meters away, while Locke and Liam supported the wolf's injured fiancee. Pushing his concern for her away from him despite the incredible pain, Kajex refocused, looking around for an escape route- some blast door they could close behind them quickly enough.

He found one almost straight ahead, one leading into Engineering. Without even speaking he darted into the corridor and slapped the controls, watching as Keris, Talrik and Rook jumped in past the slowly closing doors. Hoping desperately these creatures weren't smart enough to use the door mechanism, he deactivated his lightsaber and whipped out his datapad, plugging into the hatch in a matter of moments. It took focus for him to ignore the repeated pounding the undead horde were making at the other side, but with the deftness and skill of an experienced slicer he injected a difficult-to-breach code into the door's security systems, locking it down securely. As an afterthought he re-drew his lightsaber and slashed the mechanism cleanly.

"How long will that hold them?" Talrik asked, panting.

"Unless they figure out a way to use a fusion cutter or slice the door open, indefinitely," the wolf responded grimly. "C'mon, let's put more distance between us and the door, before they find another way in."

Abandoning their previous, cautious pace the team moved quickly and quietly through the engineering section- or as quietly as the loose floor grating would allow them to. Every beat of their boots against the steel flooring was like a speeder crashing into a percussionist's shop, yet they could not afford to linger too long; nor could Kajex stay quiet, opening communications again and speaking into his headset.

"Locke, I need a gods-damned sit-rep right now! What's your status, over!"

It took a few moments for his brother to answer, and it came with a grunting noise. "We're all alive, but Syrra's injured; I-I had to cut her hand off to prevent infection, it was the only way to save her!" he said defensively.

The Sentinel felt a brief chill in his veins, his shock mirrored on the faces of his team. Keris was holding a paw to her muzzle, stifling a sob- Syrra, who had once been a bitter rival, had become her both her lover and best friend within the Praxeum, and one of the only friends she possessed outside of the pack. Yet the Guardian's answer wasn't satisfactory, not to Kajex. "Save her from what, Locke!?" he snarled, angered that his own kin had decided it was best to amputate his fiancee. "What the fuck infection are you talking about!?"

"No time to explain!" Locke shouted- more blaster fire erupted on the other side of their communications. "Just find someplace to hunker down! If you see anymore of them blow open their heads; do not let these abominations bite you, or you will find yourself among them!"

Kajex wanted to demand a clearer answer from Locke, but something about the white wolf's voice told him there was no point in arguing any further. With a loud curse he gestured to the team and continued moving deeper into the engineering section.

"I don't... what the fuck?" Talrik was saying through ragged breaths- Kajex could feel his battle meditation slipping, prompting him to pause and reinforce his pack's confidence. The fox's breathing steadied, though he acted as if nothing was amiss as his reaction to his fears abated. "I put 3 bolts in one of them, but the bastard didn't even flinch. What the fuck were those things? It's like an old, bad horror holovid brought to life."

"Easy there, mate," Rook said soothingly. "We're out of it for now, we'll get answers yet. What's the plan, boss?" she asked the wolf.

Kajex sighed. "Engineering isn't a bad second option, all things considered. Any ship this size will have its data filtered into separate servers- and with a ship this big having this much data, those servers will be located near the coolant tanks for this ship's reactors," he explained. "If we can't reach the command bridge via turbolifts, we can at least find out what the fuck is going on down here."

"It's engineering," Talrik piped up, "they'll have anywhere between 200-400 people keeping the grav-well generators and reactors at peak efficiency. This is dangerous territory, Alpha."

He nodded, keeping their pace brisk. "It is- but they won't be able to abandon their posts to attack us, and there's probably not too many of them as is. This ship might not be working at peak efficiency if they disabled the lighting and turbolifts."

"I hope Locke can get Syrra to Medical," Keris said with a sad softness in her voice.

"How far are we!?" Locke barked.

"Down the right corridor and another twenty meters!" Miles answered, turning around to fire at their pursuers. The undead were tenacious and unafraid, running headlong into the Miraluka's firepower- yet they were also clumsy. Every time the ex-soldier had turned to lay down suppressing fire, he'd had the good fortune to either blast off a few heads or remove a few legs, causing the mob to trip over the bodies and claw their way back up to their feet even as the rest rushed to stampede over them. But for all the good it did, the approaching horde showed no signs of thinning out.

The news that they were near the medical facility was of little comfort to Locke, who wondered how the hell they would be able to stem the tide of these undead abominations. Syrra needed prompt medical attention, which would be nigh impossible to receive if the ghouls were able to follow them in. But as he turned the right corridor and moved towards the sealed blast door, a sense of calm overcame him- they would be alright, if they could just reach it.

The three of them were within five meters of the blast door when the door opened abruptly, revealing a firing line of no fewer than six armed stormtroopers and three Espos, one of which had manned a tripod-mounted blaster cannon. Eyes wide, he pulled Syrra and Liam to the floor, swinging a foot out to trip Miles at the same moment- the act saved the Miraluka's life as the troopers opened fire and filled the corridor with energy, blaster bolts exploding into flesh and bone and scattering body parts around. The blaster cannon thumped repeatedly as its superior firepower held back the swarm.

Locke swore in relief, watching as the 6 stormtroopers edged forward and signaled for them to get up and move, which the wolf was only too glad to comply with. He pulled Syrra across the floor, the Trianii flinching and moaning in pain; Liam and Miles ran ahead, stopping short as another five stormtroopers aimed their weapons at them, prompting the two to hold their hands up in surrender. The moment Syrra and Locke had made it through the hatch, their rescuers withdrew from the corridor and slipped back into the medical facility.

The sigh of relief on Locke's muzzle died the moment an armored hand grabbed him by the shoulder and wrenched him away from Syrra, as two stormtroopers slammed him against the wall and pinned his arms against it.

"Identify yourself, spacer!!!" a shorter soldier barked, aiming his rifle at Locke's head.

Locke glared. "Locke Surnahm, I'm a Jedi Guardian in training. You may want to stand down, cadet," he added warningly. He braced himself for the expected response and was not disappointed when the butt of the cadet's rifle slammed against the side of his muzzle. Suffering only a moment of dazed senses, he spat blood from his busted lip and resumed glaring at the trooper. "Don't make this difficult," he said softly.

"That's enough!" a voice shouted with clear authority.

Everyone present turned to face the speaker, who stepped forward after a few moments. A dark-skinned female medical officer with sharp facial features and short black hair, regarded the cadet with a harsh stare that seemed to cow him. Her gaze fell upon the injured Trianii and the stump she possessed, the sight causing her eyes to narrow. "Step away from the other two, and get this young woman to the infirmary, immediately!" she ordered abruptly- one Espo and one stormtrooper complied without question, helping the Padawan up and moving her away from the hatch, her headset clattering to the floor. The rest of the soldiers backed away from Miles and Liam warily, lowering their weapons as the medical officer turned to regard Locke with interest. "Was that your doing, Guardian?"

Locke nodded, matching her stare. "I had little choice. I know what you're dealing with- I've heard of it."

"Really. Only Imperial Intelligence and various... cults, have heard of these abominations," the officer stated coolly.

"Cults... like the Circle of Syn, I imagine?" Locke asked rather pointedly.

There was a muttering among the soldiers as they looked at one another- this was a name they appeared to have heard of. The officer said nothing for a few moments, sizing him up. "Locke Surnahm, was it?" He nodded. "... I am Chief Medical Officer Saine Auria of the Omega-Orr. What is your business on this vessel?"

The wolf looked to either side. "Mind having your goons here unhand me? I find it difficult to answer questions without room to breathe," he said sarcastically. The Officer treated him to a wan smile and nodded to each of the soldiers pinning him to the wall. Taking a moment to rub his arms a bit, he answered, making sure to activate his headset. "I came here with a team of Jedi and non-Jedi allies- this sector has been missing CorpSec ships over the last year or so, and the Jedi Order was dispatched to investigate your ship, which was discovered a few weeks prior."

"Locke? What--"

"Kajex, I've found the survivors," Locke replied. Gesturing to Syrra's discarded headset, Saine picked up the device and fitted it.

"Kajex, is it? This is Chief Medical Officer Saine Auria- your team is safe and your Trianii Jedi will be treated at the infirmary."

"Syrra... thank the Force..." the wolf answered, sounding close to tears. "I swear to you, Officer, we're going to get everyone off this goddamn vessel."

"That's all well and good," Saine responded sternly, "but you may want to wait until we know for sure whether you all can be trusted. Your ally here, Locke, appears to know who the Circle of Syn is, and what infection we're facing- despite the fact that he claims to be a Jedi."

"He is a Jedi," Kajex responded firmly, and warmth for his twin erupted in Locke's chest. "He just... happened to be allied with the Sith for a long part of his life, but I would trust him to the end. And if he knows what the hell these... things are, then I know he'll tell us."

"Are you in a safe location?" Locke asked.

"We found the lower deck mess hall, it's been barricaded- but nobody's home. I've been sealing off blast doors via slicing and sabotage, I think we're safe for the moment. Now come on- tell us what the fuck these things are," Kajex urged impatiently.

Locke sighed. "First off... Officer Auria?"

"We're a little beyond formalities at this point, Jedi- Saine is fine," she suggested.

"Saine, then- was your staff working on particular experiments?"

She shook her head, brow furrowed. "No, we haven't. About a year ago we received an order to resupply and receive a cargo transfer from Ojoster Prime, involving no fewer than twenty-five high-pressure gas containers. The transfer included a member of the Sith cult you mentioned, whose orders were to hold on to the cargo until a new storage facility could be found. Obviously, the source of the infection came from one of these containers. Not a month after being assigned to the fringes of Republic space on what was assumed to be a 'scouting mission', a container went missing- the next day, the symptoms developed."

"What symptoms?" Kajex pressed.

"Initially, nothing more than a minor cough and draining sinuses. Within a week health would deteriorate into significant respiratory infection, not unlike minor pneumonia. That there were multiple outbreaks of it was immediately disconcerting, and many of the medical staff felt something was amiss- 50 soldiers, all on the port-side barracks, had suffered exposure to something. When the symptoms worsened into gastrointestinal damage, lethargy and unexplained sensations of pain, I issued a quarantine to investigate the afflicted crew members."

"Did you know then what you were dealing with?" Locke asked grimly.

"Not until the afflicted troopers died of cardiac arrest, no," Saine responded with a sigh. "The symptoms unnerved me because I... I'd heard of the rumors."

"What rumors?" Kajex asked through the comm.

"Of a secret Imperial bioweapons project meant to infect individuals via a viral airborne transmission. I didn't believe it at first, fought back that ridiculous notion and went about my work- until the cadets and officers started dying in droves." She winced. "They were not recovering, and every effort was being made to save their lives, to no avail. When the week ended, all 50 of them were declared deceased. Not all of them went easily, either- while half of them went into comas, the other half died from unexplained internal or external hemorrhaging, seizures, or cardiac arrest that only occurred after long periods of hallucinations, forcing us to restrain the patients."

"But it didn't end there, did it?" Locke said- it was not a question.

"Forty-five of the corpses were cremated as their families requested- five were held for medical examination, to determine the cause of death. I was to check in that very morning to conduct the autopsy myself, but when I arrived, Medical was in a state of panic- all five corpses had reanimated and attacked the medical staff. Thankfully, nobody was hurt and the undead were dispatched quickly. Before I could attempt a closer examination of the bodies, the... Inquisitor, as he called himself, demanded they be cremated as well."

"This Inquisitor- what was his name?" Locke asked.

"Tooem," Sain answered coldly, saying the name with disgust. "I should have realized he was behind this."

"Inquisitor Tooem..." Locke repeated. "I'd heard he'd been assigned a project of his own, but... I didn't think it was this."

"And what is 'this'?" Kajex asked.

Saine stared at the Guardian for a few moments- when he nodded, she answered.

"Imperial Bioweapons Project I71A- Codename: Blackwing."