> Disclaimer: Star Wars and all of it's Intellectual Properties is owned by George Lucas and Walt Disney, This fictional work and all of it's original characters are however mine.
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The crew stood before the massive reinforced doors, their faded markings and ancient design a stark reminder of the station's long-forgotten past. The air was heavy with anticipation, each member of the group tense as they assessed their surroundings. The area was dimly lit by emergency lighting still flickering in shades of red and amber, casting an ominous glow on the metallic walls.
The three droids—Nick-01, Nick-02, and Skew-02—took up defensive positions around the team. Their sensors scanned the corridor methodically, servos humming softly as they rotated and adjusted their stances. Skew-02, in particular, planted itself firmly in the center, its chassis tilted slightly forward in an imposing stance.
“Defensive protocol active,” Skew-02 intoned, its monotone voice reverberating in the corridor. “Any detected hostilities will result in immediate countermeasures.”
"Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that," Kado muttered, keeping his weapon ready as he watched the door. His calm tone belied the tension he felt as he glanced between the droids and the rest of the crew.
Rina and Jake crouched by a dusty access panel adjacent to the door, their tools already spread out before them. Rina worked methodically, her datapad connected to the panel with a series of cables, while Jake hovered beside her, scanning with his own portable diagnostic device.
"Panel's old," Rina said, her voice steady but cautious. "Definitely pre-Ruusan Reformation tech, but it’s surprisingly intact. No corrosion on the connectors, and power's still running to it. Either this station was built to last, or someone’s been maintaining it."
Jake leaned closer, his eyes narrowing as he reviewed the scan results. "I’m picking up something strange in the circuitry. It looks like there’s a failsafe system tied to the door’s mechanism. Could be a lockdown procedure, or worse—an automated defense trigger."
"Great," Mira said dryly from her position behind them. "Because it’s not like this place has already tried to kill us multiple times or anything."
Davik, standing nearby with his blaster trained on the door, smirked slightly. "At least this time, we know to expect trouble."
Rina tapped a command into her datapad, and a holographic projection of the panel's internal structure appeared. "There’s a workaround here, but it’s delicate. If we trip the failsafe, it might activate the defenses—or worse, lock the door permanently."
Jake nodded, his expression thoughtful. "If we split the load—one of us handling the primary bypass while the other monitors the feedback—we might be able to avoid triggering the failsafe altogether."
"Fine by me," Rina replied. She handed Jake one of her slicing tools. "You take feedback. You’ve got a better eye for it."
As the two worked in tandem, the rest of the crew maintained a vigilant watch. Kado’s gaze swept the corridor for any signs of movement, his finger resting lightly on the trigger of his blaster rifle.
"Tarek," Kado said, his voice low, "how are the ship’s systems holding up? We might need a quick exit if things go south."
Tarek’s voice came through the comms, laced with his usual humor despite the tension. "Systems are solid, big guy. Engines are primed, shields are steady, and Nick-03’s here keeping me company. Don’t worry—we’ll be ready to scoop you up if you trip an ancient alarm or something equally dramatic."
"You’re too confident," Arlos said softly from his post at the rear, his tone polite as always. "It might not be so simple, sir."
"Thanks for the optimism, Arlos," Tarek replied, chuckling nervously. "Remind me to bring you on every morale-boosting mission."
The exchange earned a faint smile from Kado, but his attention snapped back to the door as Jake let out a triumphant exclamation.
"Got it!" Jake said, grinning as the panel’s internal lights flickered green. "Failsafe is neutralized. Door’s ready to open on your command."
"Good work," Kado said, stepping forward. He gestured for everyone to ready themselves. "Droids, stay sharp. If anything comes through that door, I want it neutralized before it becomes a threat."
"Affirmative," Nick-02 replied, its blasters swiveling into position.
Rina stepped back, her datapad still connected to the panel. "Whenever you’re ready, I’ll trigger the door."
The crew exchanged a final glance, each silently preparing for what lay beyond. Kado gave a single nod.
"Do it."
Rina tapped the command, and the ancient doors groaned as they began to slide apart, revealing a shadowed chamber beyond. The air that spilled out was stale and heavy, carrying with it the faint scent of decay and machinery.
The droids were the first to move, stepping cautiously into the chamber with their weapons raised. Their scanning beams cut through the darkness, illuminating fragments of the room’s interior—a central console surrounded by what appeared to be large, dormant machinery.
"Area clear," Nick-01 reported after a moment.
The crew advanced slowly, weapons drawn, as they stepped into the control room. Shadows danced across the walls as their lights swept the space, revealing consoles covered in layers of dust and cobwebs.
"Looks like we found it," Mira said, her voice hushed. "Whatever it is."
Jake moved toward the central console, his excitement tempered by caution. "Let’s find out. Rina, help me access this thing. If this is the control center, it might tell us everything we need to know about the station—and the vault."
As the two began their work, the others spread out, searching the room for anything unusual. The tension in the air was palpable as they braced themselves for the next twist in their journey.
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Jake dove into the central console with a mix of excitement and focus, his hands moving swiftly over the ancient interface. The display flickered and hummed, a testament to its age, but the data streams were surprisingly intact. He initiated his search with the terms "vault" and "high security," narrowing the scope to prioritize any references to key locations or critical assets. The console responded sluggishly at first, its processors likely operating on residual power, but soon lines of text and diagrams began appearing on the screen.
Meanwhile, the droids spread out methodically. Nick-01 and Nick-02 took positions near the room’s entrance, scanning the perimeter for potential threats. Skew-02 roamed the edges of the chamber, its sensors pinging periodically as it mapped the area.
Rina moved to a secondary console across the room. Unlike Jake, her focus wasn’t on interpreting results but on extracting raw data. She had a slicer’s toolkit connected to the console and was methodically bypassing the outdated encryption protocols to download anything Jake’s search might miss. They had agreed beforehand that redundancy was critical.
“Found anything useful yet?” Mira asked, her voice tinged with skepticism as she ran her hand along a dusty control panel nearby.
Kado, standing by the chamber’s far wall, glanced over his shoulder. “If this is the vault, it’s a bit underwhelming, isn’t it?”
Jake didn’t look up, too engrossed in the growing results on his console. “This isn’t the vault,” he said, his voice carrying a growing confidence. “I’m starting to piece it together. The vault itself is planetside, on Malachor V.”
Davik paused his careful examination of a nearby console. “Hold on,” he said, his tone questioning. “Didn’t the data we pulled say the vault was in the debris field? That’s what got us here in the first place.”
Jake leaned back slightly, pointing at the holographic display his search was generating. “It’s a bit of a misinterpretation,” he explained, his voice steady but tinged with enthusiasm. “The thing we’re looking for—the thing in this station—isn’t the vault itself. It’s the key to the vault.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
There was a brief silence as the realization settled over the group.
“That makes more sense,” Mira said finally, nodding in understanding. “Why else would this station still be here, barely functional, but drawing just enough power to keep a few systems alive? It’s safeguarding something.”
Kado crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “So, we’re looking for a literal key? Or is it some kind of artifact, like the relic that led us here in the first place?”
Jake shrugged, his attention returning to the console. “Could be anything, really. The Old Republic was known for hiding things in plain sight—and for overengineering everything. If I can narrow down its location in this station, we’ll know soon enough.”
Rina, still working at her console, chimed in. “I’m pulling data that might help. There’s mention of a secured chamber deeper in the station. Doesn’t say what’s inside, but the schematics suggest it’s heavily reinforced. If I had to guess, that’s where the key is.”
Davik raised an eyebrow. “Heavily reinforced? Great. Because everything about this station so far has been so welcoming.”
Kado smirked faintly at Davik’s sarcasm but didn’t respond. Instead, he turned his attention back to the room, his gaze scanning for anything that might serve as a clue or a trap.
Nick-03’s voice came through the comms from its post back in the ship. “Captain,” it said, the quirk in its programming randomly assigning leadership titles again, “no unusual activity on external scans. Debris field remains stable, but you’re at risk of long-term exposure to electromagnetic interference.”
“Noted,” Kado replied, choosing not to address the arbitrary rank.
“Focus up,” Jake said, his fingers flying across the console. “If we find this key and get out of here quickly, we can minimize that risk. Rina, how’s your end?”
“Got most of what I need,” she replied. “The encryption’s ancient, but still tricky in places. Whoever built this didn’t want just anyone poking around.”
“That’s the Old Republic for you,” Mira said, peering over Rina’s shoulder briefly. “Everything is a riddle wrapped in a puzzle.”
Jake chuckled despite himself. “Well, this riddle is starting to make sense. Let’s wrap this up and head for that secure chamber. I have a feeling that’s where all our answers are waiting.”
With the droids standing guard and the team gradually piecing together the station’s secrets, the path ahead began to feel clearer. But with every step forward, the question of what they might encounter next loomed larger in their minds.
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As Jake and Rina continued working diligently at their respective consoles, the others in the control center fell into a speculative conversation. Mira was the first to voice her thoughts. "What if the vault is hiding forbidden weaponry? Something so dangerous it had to be locked away for millennia?"
Kado leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "And risk it getting lost in a debris field? Seems like a stretch. If it’s a weapon, it’s more likely something tied to the Jedi or Sith."
Davik raised an eyebrow. "What about war droids? Entire battalions of ancient droids that could turn the tide of any conflict. Imagine if someone like Gardulla got their hands on that."
Jake, not looking up from his work, interjected. "Possible, but unlikely. The Old Republic wouldn’t just abandon something like that. They’d dismantle it or destroy it outright."
Mira smirked. "So, Jedi artifacts, then? Holocrons, maybe. Something connected to their past."
Rina glanced up briefly. "Or Sith artifacts. This place is eerily isolated. If it’s tied to Malachor, that screams Sith to me."
Kado chuckled. "You all are missing the obvious. What if the Vault isn’t a vault at all? What if it’s a prison? Something so dangerous they built this station to guard it?"
The group fell silent for a moment, the weight of Kado’s suggestion lingering in the air.
Meanwhile, the perspective shifted to Skew-02, leading Nick-01 and Nick-02 down the dimly lit corridor extending from the control center. Skew-02’s movements were deliberate and precise, scanning every corner and crevice for potential threats. Nick-01 followed closely, its optical sensors flickering as it monitored for any irregularities. Nick-02 trailed slightly behind, humming softly—a quirk it had developed, almost as if it enjoyed the task.
“This corridor presents minimal immediate threat,” Skew-02 stated in its metallic monotone, turning to address the other two droids. “Proceed to systematic sweep protocol. Nick-01, take the left junction. Nick-02, the right. Report anomalies within 0.2 standard minutes.”
Nick-01 gave a curt reply. “Acknowledged, Captain Skew.”
Nick-02 tilted its head, its tone playful. “But I thought Creator Jake was Captain today?”
“Designation irrelevant,” Skew-02 responded flatly. “Focus on the task.”
The three droids parted at the junction. Nick-01 moved into a small chamber filled with decayed crates and skeletal remains of ancient machinery. It activated a scanner and transmitted findings back to Skew-02: low power signals emanating from a distant point ahead.
Nick-02 wandered into a slightly larger area that seemed to have once been a storage room. It emitted a cheerful chirp. “I found nothing! Perfectly safe!”
Skew-02 replied, unimpressed. “Refrain from celebratory tones until sweep completion.”
As Skew-02 reached the end of its assigned path, it halted in front of a reinforced blast door. Its sensors detected faint power readings emanating from beyond. “Potentially significant structure identified,” it relayed to the others. “Returning to regroup.”
The droids reconvened at the junction and compared findings. Skew-02 transmitted the data back to the control center. “Preliminary sweep completed. Awaiting further directives.”
Back in the control center, the group reviewed the transmitted data. Jake leaned closer to the central console, scanning the readings from Skew-02’s report. “This reinforced door… could lead to something important. It’s not on any of the maps we’ve pulled so far.”
Mira frowned. “Or it could be a decoy. If this is the Vault key’s location, we need to tread carefully.”
Davik nodded. “Agreed. Let’s have the droids check it out first before we head down there ourselves.”
Kado tapped his chin thoughtfully. “It’s the first real lead we’ve got. Let’s not waste it.”
The group prepared to give further instructions to their mechanical scouts, the mystery of the Vault growing ever closer to revelation.
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Jake worked swiftly to prepare the slicing equipment, his hands deftly adjusting the tools for deployment on Nick-01 and Nick-02. The droids stood motionless, waiting as he secured the compact yet powerful devices. "There we go," Jake said, tightening the final connection on Nick-01. "These tools are calibrated for Old Republic tech, but keep in mind: there's no guarantee it'll work flawlessly. So if you need me to jump in, say the word."
Kado, leaning against the console, crossed his arms. "You’re sure about this? Last thing we need is an unexpected lockout—or worse, tripping some kind of defense system."
Jake nodded, though his expression was serious. "That’s why we’re doing this remotely. If anything goes south, Rina or I can cut the connection instantly."
Mira gestured toward Nick-02, which was carrying the backup tools. "Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. These systems are ancient and unpredictable. All the more reason to get it right the first time."
Rina smirked as she prepared to sync her slicing terminal with the deployed tools. "Confidence, Mira. You’ll jinx me otherwise."
Nick-01 emitted a mechanical chirp as Jake gave it a light pat on the chassis. "All set. Let’s get this show on the road," Jake said, stepping back as the droids turned to exit.
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Jake watched as Nick-01 and Nick-02 returned to the reinforced blast door with their mounted slicing tools. There was an underlying tension in the air—this method of remotely slicing was more risky than they'd like to admit. Normally, Jake or Rina would be on-site, their expertise making the process smoother and faster, but the delay inherent in remote slicing meant they were depending heavily on the droids. If anything went wrong, they'd be one step too slow to react.
Nick-01, with its slicing tools mounted and deployed, gently connected to the access panel on the reinforced blast door. Nick-02, standing back and watching the surroundings, kept its sensors alert for any movement, ready to back up its fellow droid if necessary. The procedure was delicate, as a failed attempt could trigger alarms or worse—lock them out of the critical area.
Rina was at the control station, her fingers poised over the console, ready to initiate the sequence. As the system slowly synced, she couldn’t help but smirk and mutter, "Hope this door doesn’t have a ‘Do Not Open’ sign. I’m getting real tired of the surprises.”
Jake didn’t respond immediately, his focus solely on the data coming in from the droids. "We’re almost there," he said quietly, almost to himself. He could feel the weight of the situation. They were close to uncovering whatever secrets the station held—and if the rumors were true, those secrets could change everything.
Rina finally heard the sync signal and took a deep breath before diving into the slicing. The tools she controlled on Nick-01’s interface flashed as the system responded. "All right," she quipped, her fingers flying over the console, "Let’s see if this door’s as easy to open as it looks."
From the droids’ side, Nick-01 gave a faint sound of acknowledgment. “Copy, Captain Rina. We are opening the door as per Creator Jake’s orders.”
Nick-02, still holding its position, added with a hint of humor, “Not too fast, please. I wouldn’t want to miss the grand opening.”
Jake, unable to suppress a chuckle, glanced at Mira. "The droids have a way of making things interesting, don’t they?"
Mira shook her head but smiled faintly. "They definitely keep the mood light." She turned back to the monitors, watching for any signs of danger or surprise reactions from the blast door as it began to respond to Rina’s slicing attempts.
The minutes ticked by, and the door’s locking mechanism slowly began to disengage. The hissing of the door’s seals releasing was audible over the comms as Rina continued to work. Her brow furrowed for a moment when the door seemed to fight back, requiring a deeper level of slicing.
“I’m getting some resistance here,” Rina noted, her tone steady but focused. “It’s like this door was meant to be harder to access. Could be a higher-level security override.”
Nick-01, standing vigilantly next to the panel, chimed in. “Captain Rina, if I may suggest, perhaps Creator Jake can assist by running diagnostic overrides from here?”
Jake leaned in and nodded. "I can try. Let’s push through. We don’t have much time."
He connected to the system remotely, augmenting Rina’s slicing by running diagnostics and manipulating the security layers from his side. The combined effort was enough to get a deeper access point. As they pushed through, the door creaked and groaned, its final resistance crumbling under the combined effort of the droids, Jake, and Rina’s expertise.
With a final hiss, the reinforced blast door slowly began to open, revealing what lay beyond. The group at the control center held their breath, watching the data feeds, while the droids stood ready to enter the unknown.
“After you, Skew-02,” Jake said, giving the signal to proceed with the droids.
Skew-02, ever calm and methodical, led the way. “Proceeding, Captain.”
As the door slid open completely, the air shifted—an eerie, cold stillness settling over the group. The droids moved forward, scanning the environment as they entered, the only sound their mechanical footsteps echoing in the dim light.
Rina, Jake, and the rest of the crew waited, watching the live feed, ready to follow. Whatever lay ahead, they were one step closer to uncovering the station’s secrets and the Vault’s true purpose.
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