Star Wars: Echoes in the Void/The Revelation

'''Four hired fighter pilots stumbled onto a base. No one knew about it and no one needed to know. What they saw and heard were as real as their right hand, but to anyone else in the Galaxy, were merely echoes in the void. This is their story.'''

''”How can it be possible?” Que’ry Yulrik, the Director’s head of security, stated as he walked with the Director into the sanctuary. They had become close friends since they arrived at the facility. Que’ry, a Bothan, gained the Director’s trust when he had discovered the prior head of security had threatened to reveal the location of the facility. Que’ry dealt with him in a way the Director found to be “effective”, which caught his interest. Since then, the Director does not let Que’ry leave his sight to allow him to report on the operation, as well to keep an eye on Que’ry. ''

''Que’ry was the only being allowed to leave the facility, however, only during the night when most of the workers are asleep. He uses a cloaking device to shield both himself and his ship. Only one member was reported to have seen him leave, but that worker “accidentally” passed away during a routine maintenance check later that week. Que’ry wasn’t someone who liked to hide in the dark; he was someone who was always aware of the light. ''

'' “Yes, it is possible. We finally made the separation. We have been conducting this research for over a decade and now that we have private funding, we’ve finally made a breakthrough.” The Director stated, walking up to the front dais that held the Nonziahner. ''

''He activated the computer screen on the book portal. When the book came, he started flipping through pages. Finally, he taps the top right corner of the screen, popping up a small search bar with a touch keyboard sliding just below. The Director types in a reference within the Nonziahner and taps the search bar. The screen fades in the pages with the passage on it. The Director uses his fore finger and thumb and spreads a highlight box over the passage. He quickly looks around to see if anyone is looking on before he taps within the box. ''

''Behind him, the rear central panel of the sanctuary shifts back and slides open, revealing a hidden passageway. Que’ry and the Director turn and immediately walk down it. Almost as soon as they are through, the door closes behind them. ''

''The hallway they are in is dimly lit, as to not leak too much power between grids. The passageway did not last long before they arrived at a turbo lift. The two of them filed inside. The Director pulled out his security pass and slid it into the card slot. Immediately, the turbolift started to lower. It the lift, in the silence, Que’ry began thinking. If they were successful in their mission, what would that mean to the facility? What would that mean for his job? Would they continue working, or pass the job onto someone else? He had to speak up. ''

'' “Sir, permission to speak?” Que’ry inquired. ''

''”Que’ry, we’ve been working together for twelve years. I know when you have something on your mind. Just speak.” The Director acknowledged. ''

''”What do we do now?” Que’ry wondered. ''

''”What do you mean?” The Director asked. ''

''”I mean, for the facility. We are successful. What happens now? Our objective was simply to create separation and training. The rest was up to the Regeneration and the Resurrection. They are the breeding grounds.” Que’ry examined. ''

''”Que’ry, you have to realize that there is not enough for breeding with just one batch. We have to reproduce enough to allow for breeding all at once. In that reproduction, there are bound to be failures. Just because we have reached success so far does not mean that we are close to being finished here. We’ll deal with what happens next when we get there.” The Director explained. ''

''At that, the turbolift came to a halt and opened its door to a brightly illuminated hallway. The turbolift was at the crux of a “T” intersection. On one side was a cold storage infirmary. On the other was an office. Straight in front of them was the jewel of their whole mission in Starcon Station, the alias for its true name—the Revelation. ''

''The two strolled down the long hallway towards their goal. Excitement built with each step. Anticipation intensified with each stride. They were about to witness what took twelve years to accomplish. They were about to observe history. Better yet, they were about to create history. What occurred in the humble lab of a low convent in the drifts of deep space was about to change the coarse of the galaxy. ''

''They arrived at the door. The Director slid his security pass in the card slot and the doors magically opened. The Director’s status aboard the Revelation as both priest and head of research, he was used to things “magically” happening for him. Once entering, he showed the two soldiers inside his ID badge and allowed them to pat him down. Security needed to be strict, even for him, because of what had been discovered. ''

''When they both finally passed security, they strolled over to the lab table, where the chief biologist, doctor, and lab technician, Thim Kal'rik, was stabilizing the first batch. When he realized he had visitors, Thim spun around in his chair and got up to greet the Director. Shaking his hand, he guided the Director over to the table where the serum rested.''

''”Director, it is so good to have you visit. Well, here it is. Our first batch of separated symbiotes.” Thim pointed out. ''

''”And are they stabilized?” The Director wondered. ''

''“Yes. The viscasera gel allows the symbiote to survive without relying on the tissue cell. Essentially, it takes on the properties of the tissue cell, without allowing the symbiote to communicate with others. When digested, the viscasera gel will simply dissolve in the digestive tract allowing the symbiote to roam free within the body. Once it attaches, it will be able to reproduce and spread throughout the entire body.” Thim explained. ''

''”I’m sorry. What do you mean communicate?” Que’ry inquired. ''

''Turning around, the Director gave Que’ry a quick smirk before clarifying what the doctor had just stated, “Yes. These symbiotes communicate with other life forms.” ''

''”Wait. Are you telling me that…” Que’ry lost his words in amazement.''

''”Que’ry, you are now looking at the first individual midichlorian, completely free of any life form.” The Director explicated, turning to look back at the vile. ''

''Que’ry opened his mouth to utter words of awe, but nothing seemed to come out. He lost his ability to articulate clearly. He stood there, silent, in respect to the scientific achievement that had been accomplished. History had been changed, even if its evidence never reached the media. They knew it happened. To those few in that small laboratory, this meant their entire lives to witness such a feat. ''

''Within seconds of this new discovery, Que’ry received a beacon, interrupting the reverent moment. He picked up his receiver and answered the caller, slightly irritated with the intrusion. He wanted to appreciate the moment, but it was cut short with an emergency call. He knew he had to answer it. He told his men not to notify him with the beacon unless it was dire. ''

''”What is it?” Que’ry snipped. ''

''”Sir, there has been a breach in the upper levels. They appear to be Republic Clones, sir. Two men are reported down. We are engaging emergency lockdown. Most residents are in the living quarters, with a few at their positions below the bays, so they should be safe. What are our following orders?” A soldier reported over Que’ry’s comlink beacon. Que’ry gave the Director a sharp glance, who nodded in confirmation. ''

''”Release the droids. Neutralize the threat.” Que’ry ordered, walking back towards the security door. He wanted to make sure whatever was threatening to ruin their day of triumph was dealt with “effectively”. Nothing was going to stand in their way of victory. ''

Lymn awoke, resting against the side of the prison cell wall. His vision did not return to him immediately, but took its time to focus in on the metal slab in front of him that was supposed to be the comforts of a bed. He let out a deep sigh, as if he had just received a restful night’s sleep. He let his head fall against the cold durasteel wall behind him. In that moment, he knew something was not right.

He leaned forward, taking his hands, and pressed them against his face. He was missing his helmet, his source of life support, his communication with the outside world, his vision in the dark cell. He was truly in the void now. Though he could still make out details in the room, he was left stranded.

“Artee?” Lymn cried out, waving his hands around, searching for the machine that betrayed him. “Artee? Are you there?”

There was only silence.

“Di’gen! Answer me!” Lymn cursed.

The term “di’gen” was the only curse he allowed his tongue to utter because it was the only curse he ever meant. Calling upon his deity, he wanted answers. He wanted to know why he was knocked unconscious. He wanted to know why he was left alone. He wanted to know why his helmet was taken. Furthermore, he wanted to know why it was he in the first place.

Looking on through the camera hidden within the cell, RT-897 observed the security footage of Lymn in the cell. His gaze shifted as three familiar figures caught his eye. In the background he could hear the voices of three humans walking through the halls. He glanced over and noticed the rest of the squad strolling onto the same floor.

He watched as they walked around the Central Hall and past the Education Hall, which held the temple and classrooms, to the Prison Bay. He studied them as they entered the bay, ignorant of their colleague’s condition. He waited patiently for something to happen, for their reaction.

Inside the Prison Bay, Carpo led the two others and they strolled on towards the cell that they thought held their fugitive. They had been engaged in a lively discussion about what could have possibly been going on in the research facility. They wondered why it needed the convent as a front. Who did they need to distract? Why did they need to hide? More questions were being asked than could be answered.

“I wonder how Lymn will take the news since this does involve his religion?” Riina thought aloud.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Lymn is an adult. He’ll understand that these people weren’t like him. They didn’t truly believe what he believed. They just saw an opportunity to use someone else to gain an advantage.” Ruin suggested.

“You can’t blame these guys, though. His religion is easy to take advantage of. It’s built on trust and faith.” Carpo sniped.

Ruin stopped Carpo in his tracks.

“Listen, as much as I don’t agree with his beliefs, I still respect him because of them. He knows what he knows and believes what he believes. It’s more than I can say about most of this galaxy. There is nothing wrong having a little faith, a little trust in a person.” Ruin retorted.

“I’m going to ignore that you said that.” Carpo reprimanded.

He continued walking down the hallway. Carpo took the moment to soak in what Ruin said. Ruin met Carpo in a Cantina one day while he was on the run from a group of bounty hunters, who caught wind of a small bounty on his head. Carpo had saved him from the hunters and allowed him to travel along with him. Ruin never learned why he had shown that act of kindness that day, and Carpo wanted to keep it that way. As a result, though, Ruin felt indebted to Carpo and vowed to never leave his sight.

Being a skilled technician, Carpo had great use for him, especially around the base. Ruin was responsible for overseeing every technical aspect of the base, which he did not mind. His arrogance prevented anyone else from touching the systems, which meant that he knew exactly what was going on when and where it was going. As a result, Ruin managed to save the base from invasion, siege, and even an attack. Carpo considered their debt even then, but Ruin still felt indebted to him. He had too much respect for his leader. Carpo had too much respect for Ruin to call him on it.

Ruin followed up closely behind Riina as they approached the cell. Carpo gave a quick tap on the door to signify that they were about to enter, then pushed the button to open the cell door. Nothing happened. He looked down at the control panel and figured it might be locked. He fiddled with the controls, unlocked the door and tried again. Still, the door did not budge. Carpo glanced up at Ruin.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t it opening?” Carpo inquired.

“It might just be jammed. If we apply pressure on the sides, it should open when you push the button.” Ruin stated, walking up to the door. Riina positioned herself on the opposite side. “Watch your fingers. If they get caught when this goes up, they'll come right off.”

They both prepare themselves, before leaning in on the door. The two of them push against the door with their might while Carpo operated the button. Still, nothing happened. Ruin took a step back and examined the door. Finally, he pulled out his datapad and opened up a side panel next to the controls. Plugging in his datapad, Carpo spoke up.

“What are you doing?” Carpo asked.

“I’m running a diagnostic on the door to see what might be the problem. It could be that the door hasn’t been used in so long, some of the systems are no longer functioning properly. A quick diagnostic will locate those systems so I can fix them.” Ruin mentioned.

“What does that mean about Lymn?” Riina wondered.

“In short, it means he’s stuck there until I can fix the door. I would hate to be him right now, stuck in those tight quarters with a lunatic droid. No telling what he would do.” Ruin commented.

“How long will it take?” Carpo inquired.

“Depending on what’s wrong it could take from five minutes to half an hour.” Ruin explained.

“Alright. I’ll let Lymn know what’s going on.” Carpo spoke. Suddenly, the others couldn’t hear him, but they knew he was speaking to Lymn.

They could hear mumbling coming from Carpo’s direction, since his helmet absorbed most of the sound waves as he spoke. Regardless, they knew something was wrong. Carpo’s demeanor gave him away. He suddenly stopped and stared in one direction. He leaned his body in slightly. They could tell he was having a difficult time reaching or receiving Lymn.

“Ruin, I can’t get Lymn. Could the cell be interfering with our comlinks?” Carpo wondered.

“Not likely. He may just have his comlink switched off. Maybe he didn’t want to be—” A loud bang from further down the hall cut Ruin off.

The remaining squad peered down in the general direction. Turning to each other, they discussed amongst themselves what the noise could have been.

“What was that?” Riina spoke up.

“It could have been out gassing. A delay maybe from when the systems rebooted?” Ruin suggested.

“It came from down there, for sure. Let’s check it out.” Carpo recommended.

The three of them gently stepped down the hall, keeping their guns raised. Cautious of any sudden surprises, the squad remained on edge, ready to react instantaneously. They made it down three doors before they heard the pounding again. The metallic thud echoed throughout the hall. The beating was neither rhythmic nor leisurely. It appeared more erratic, almost more desperate.

“Can you see inside?” Carpo questioned Ruin.

“Yeah. I transferred security cam links to my datapad before I left. I can check right here.” Ruin responded.

Ruin activated his datapad. He held it out for the others to see. Activating his connection to the security room, which he had installed while trying to access the main power grid, and located the Prison Bay. Glancing at the cell number, he found the appropriate security camera and brought it up.

The squad glanced at the footage. They could see an empty room. In the far corner, the dirty bathroom abided quietly. The bed remained undisturbed. In the bottom segment of the room, they noticed something flicker past the camera.

“Move the camera down?” Carpo ordered.

Ruin lowered the camera’s angle. As the camera moved, Lymn’s body came into clear view and he rested against the cell door. He raised his hand one last time. When he slammed against the durasteel entry, the squad heard the corresponding thud on the outside. Stunned, each one turning to face the cell.

“Why would Lymn be down here? We put RT-897 back towards the entrance?” Riina inquired.

“I don’t care. Let’s just get him out.” Carpo ordered.

Ruin went to open the door, but experienced the same problems here as Carpo did at the other door. He tried everything Carpo had down the hall, but remained unsuccessful. He turned to face the others.

“It won’t open.” Ruin acknowledged.

“What?” Carpo rejoined.

“The door. It’s stuck. Just like the one down the hall.” Ruin stated, “Hold on. Let me see something.”

Ruin walked back down the hall to the next cell door. He tried opening it as well. He experienced the same problem. It was almost as if the locking system had been overridden. The only person capable of doing that was someone tech savvy and had spent time on the ship. It required someone with clearance and codes, someone involved with security. It required RT-897.

Ruin pulled out his datapad once more and activated the security link. He searched the sources for the right cell and enlarged it. The room was empty. He flipped it around and held it up so the others could see as he approached them.

“I don’t get it. What are we looking at?” Carpo wondered.

“This is the cell that is supposed to be holding RT-897.” Ruin explained.

“How did he get out?” Riina asked.

“My guess is that he jumped Lymn as he walked in, then stole his helmet to listen in to our conversation to figure out where we were. Now, he’s probably in hiding somewhere.” Ruin clarified.

“I think you’re giving him the benefit of the doubt. Let’s just assume that he is hiding. Why would he stick Lymn in this cell and change the security on all of them?” Carpo wondered.

“To tell us that he did this.” Ruin stated.

“Why would he want us to know that he is responsible for this?” Carpo inquired.

“I don’t know. These are just suggestions. First, we need to figure out how to get Lymn out of the cell. I’ll work on bypassing the security to undo the lock. Maybe he will know what happened.” Ruin suggested.

“Alright.” Carpo acknowledged.

Carpo turned and banged on the door to let Lymn know that they are there. They heard an immediate response from him, signaling them that he heard them. Carpo then turned to face Ruin as he attempted to isolate the security system in the lock. Ruin finally managed to locate the system and tried to bypass it to unlock the doors.

“Are you almost through?” Carpo asked.

“Almost. I just need to generate the code and I’ll be able to slip through and deactivate the—“ Ruin’s voice trails off.

Ruin stood in front of the other mesmerized. No one knew what to say as he looked up. Fear and confusion emulated from his face. Carpo hesitated to ask what had happened.

“What—what is it?” Carpo questioned.

“I just got locked out of my datapad.” Ruin stated.

“What?” Riina spoke up for Carpo.

“While I was hacking his system, RT-897 hacked my datapad and locked me out of it. I can’t use this now.” Ruin explained.

“How can he do that?” Carpo posed.

“He must be in the Power Room. That’s where the central computer is located. He must have isolated my entry point and gained access through the connection.” Ruin stated, amazed, “Clever.”

Suddenly, they heard pounding on the door. It appeared more desperate, more anxious, than before. They walked up to the door and tried to feel where it was coming from. The impacts weren’t coming from eye or even shoulder level. They were coming from knee level. Lymn was lying on the ground knocking against the door.

“We need to see what’s going on in there!” Carpo yelled.

Almost immediately, Ruin’s datapad came alive. On the screen showed the isolated cell that Lymn was trapped in. Lying on the ground, Lymn was cuddled in a ball, striking the door. Off in the corner, the three could see a faint cloud coming from the vents. They knew what was happening. They were witnessing their colleague, their friend, die before their eyes. He was becoming one of them.

Carpo raised his rifle in the air and started marching back towards the entrance. There was a determined look on his face. Riina and Ruin looked in his direction, confused. They weren’t sure if their commander was just going to leave Lymn to die like that.

“Where are you going?” Ruin insisted.

“RT-897 is going to get Lymn out of there.” Carpo stated.

“I’ll stay here.” Riina acknowledged, encouraging Ruin to go with him.

Ruin marched off to meet Carpo two cells down. When he reached Carpo, they walked out together and headed around the Central Hall towards the Power Room on the other side. They moved swiftly and quietly. Carpo deactivated his comlink so that in case RT-897 was listening, he couldn’t hear him coming. He wanted some sort of surprise, even though he knew he blew that by saying what he was doing—looking for the droid.

They reached the Power Hall and crept inside. Slowly making through way towards the Power Room, they kept their eyes out for an ambush from the droid. They knew he could catch at least one of them off guard. He was not going to catch anymore. Carpo wanted to make sure of that.

Carpo and Ruin sneaked up to the doorway to the Power Room. The door was open. Carpo held Ruin back behind him, should something happen, but gave him a signal to move around if it was clear. Carpo crept up to the doorway and slid his rifle around into the room. He peered inside and saw RT-897 just sitting at the computer, watching the monitors.

On one monitor, he saw the image of Lymn lying on the ground in the cell. He had stopped knocking on the door. In another one, Riina was talking to someone. He heard a faint voice come from the room asking for him. Carpo figured she was trying to reach him about Lymn. In a third monitor, Carpo saw that RT-897 was watching the exterior hallway to the Power Room, which he and Ruin were center screen.

“Welcome, Sir.” RT-897 spoke without turning around.

“What are you doing to Lymn?” Carpo shouted.

“Don’t worry. The gas is non-toxic in small quantities. However, if he remains in the room for more than an hour, it could start to affect his brain functions.” RT-897 replied, maliciously.

“I want you to stop it. I have you in my crosshairs. If you don’t comply, I will open fire.” Carpo teased.

“Shooting me will kill Lymn. I have the access codes to everything that is going on in this station. You have to realize, sir, that I do not fear death like you sentients do. I do not know death. My soul lives on, not because I am a machine, but because I believe.” RT-897 explained. “Allow me to indulge you for a moment, sir? If you complete a task for me, I will reverse everything. I will unlock the cells. You can have with me what you want once my task is complete.”

“Why?” Carpo insisted.

“I do not understand your question, sir. Are you asking why you have to do this task, or why I am making you do it?” RT-897 inquired.

“Both.” Carpo retorted.

“In one word, sir,” RT-897 clarified, spinning around to look at Carpo, “Duty.”

That word struck Carpo deep. He knew what he had to do. He had to save Lymn. He had to do what the droid was asking, even though he wanted to just shoot him. He despised that droid. To think that he once trusted him to help him out. He was programmed to lie, Carpo thought. Finally, Carpo gave in.

“What do you want me to do?” Carpo inquired.

“I’m going to test your faith. Open the passageway to the revelation and you will gain what you seek. Use Ruin’s datapad to see when Lymn is free. Then you will know that I kept my promise.” RT-897 spoke up.

“Tell it to me straight. Don’t speak in riddles.” Carpo sniped.

RT-897 looked at him genuinely confused.

“What are riddles?” RT-897 replied.

Carpo realized right there that everything RT-897 was doing was because he was programmed to do or say. RT-897 wasn’t behind everything; he was merely a pawn. He was a pawn that was soon to get of taste of vengeance. Carpo turned back into the hallway and looked at Ruin. Taking off his helmet, he gestured for him to do the same.

“Alright, here’s what’s going to happen. I need to go find a passageway to some give me some sort of revelation, whatnot. As soon as that happens, and you see on that screen that Riina can get to Lymn, I want you to fire an EMP bolt straight at that friggin hunk of metal. Okay?” Carpo ordered, whispering to Ruin as to not let RT-897 overhear.

“Got it.” Ruin whispered back.

He donned his helmet once more and took a position at the door. Carpo mirrored the action and walked out of the hallway and into the Central Hall. He repeated the riddle in his head several times. He could not figure out what it mean. Every word pertained to the religion of the convent, but since it was a convent, it could be anywhere. ''Test your faith. Open the passageway to the revelation.'' Carpo was clueless. He returned to the Prison Bay where he hoped Riina might be able to help him out.

When he arrived there, Riina came running up to him. He suddenly remembered he had deactivated his comlink and switched it back on. Riina’s voice came blaring into his ear and she was yelling non-stop. He almost preferred it when the comlink was off. Carpo calmed her down.

“I’m sorry. I had my comlink off for safety reasons. Now, how long has it been since Lymn stopped tapping the door?” Carpo wondered.

Riina stopped to think about it for a moment.

“At least ten minutes. It was shortly after you left.” Riina stated.

Carpo walked back and retrieved Ruin’s datapad from the side panel and saw that it was still had the footage of Lymn lying in the cell. He concealed it in one of his pouches and turned to face Riina.

“Riina, I need you to do something for me. When this door opens, I need you to walk into the room and help Lymn. But, I also need to you wave at the camera telling me that he’s all right. Okay?” Carpo insisted.

“Yeah. I can do that. Why?” Riina wondered.

“I need to go do something real quick. Hopefully, it will open the doors.” Carpo explained as he walked away.

He strolled out of the Prison Bay and back towards the Education Hall. He figured that if he were going to get some divine revelation, the best place to be would be where the deity stayed—the sanctuary. He wandered in and sat down in one of the benches. He stared at the décor littering the walls. They portrayed images of peace, unity, and love. Then there was one that stuck out amongst the others.

Carpo noticed, in the far right corner, a banner that showed an image of war. Juxtaposed to it was the image of peace. Suddenly, he realized it was telling a story. The image of war led to the peace, which led to unity and ultimately love. It hit him. He had a revelation. He immediately stood up and walked over to the banner.

He hesitated, thinking it was too easy to figure it out that quickly. At the same time, he did remember saying that Lymn did not have too long. He figured it was meant to be easy. He pushed against the banner. Nothing happened. He looked behind the banner, but there was nothing but wall. He took the banner down. He put it back up and tried pulling on it. Nothing he tried did anything. Finally, he stepped back and just stared at it.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” A familiar voice came from behind him.

Carpo spun around and found himself looking directly into the Jedi’s eyes. Or at least, where his eyes would be. Carpo realized in that moment that he had never seen the Jedi’s eyes the entire time. His cloak always managed to cover the lighting, or conceal them in some way. He wondered what they looked like, hoping it would make the Jedi feel more alive.

“Huh?” Carpo wondered, shifting his gaze between the Jedi and the banner, “Oh, the—yeah. I guess. I never really paid much attention.”

“Those who do not appreciate the minor details often miss the meaning of the big picture.” The Jedi spoke up.

“Is that some wisdom from your Jedi temple?” Carpo retorted.

“You aren’t one for believing in something, are you?” The Jedi inquired.

“Not really. It’s not that I don’t believe in this superstition, or even science for that matter. I feel both to be corrupt. But, that’s not why either. I’ve just seen enough disappointment and death of dreams in my life to be able to say that belief in either gets you nowhere.” Carpo clarified.

“Do you believe this is real?” The Jedi questioned.

“What is happening here? Yes. I believe this is happening. At least, I hope it’s happening. I hope this is not some dream I am having, otherwise I will have to skip on some of my routine drinks.” Carpo joked.

“So, you believe in something?” The Jedi probed.

“Yes, I guess so. Why are you asking me these things? You’re a Jedi. Don’t you disagree with their beliefs?” Carpo insisted.

“With their core beliefs, yes. With their morals, no. I feel that they reach a point that I must consider, whether I agree with it or not. It may come into play in life more times that I realize, so if I do not know it or understand it, I can truly go nowhere. I’m not saying you should believe what is going on here, but be open. Maybe you’ll find the way.” The Jedi stated.

The last few words of the Jedi’s statement struck Carpo as odd.

“What did you say?” Carpo asked, trying to process it.

“I said, be open. Maybe you’ll find the way.” The Jedi reiterated.

Carpo decided to activate his comlink again. Opening up, he knew RT-897 would be able to hear him, but it did not matter now. He needed the help of his colleagues. He called out for Ruin, knowing that he would remember the accounts of the conversation they had with the ghost in the Residential Hall.

“Ruin, you there?” Carpo called out.

There was no response.

“Blast. He still has his comlink disabled. Riina, do you copy?” Carpo summoned Riina.

“Yes, sir. I copy. What do you need?” Riina asked over the comlink.

“Do you remember what we talked about with the lady in the Residential Hall? The sister of the mechanic. I know it wasn’t that long ago, but with recent events I can’t recall the conversation that well.” Carpo inquired.

“Yeah. She mentioned that there was an underground research facility, which we figured could be access through somewhere in the sanctuary. Why?” Riina replied, confused.

“Thanks.” Carpo stated, ignoring her question, “Now, did she say where it was?”

“No. She said that Triv would know, or her brother. Ruin talked with her brother.” Riina responded.

“Okay. Thanks, Riina.” Carpo thanked her and returned to the Jedi, “So, the passageway is in here, somewhere. I just need to find what activates it.”

Carpo started looking around the sanctuary for some anomaly. He hoped that in finding that, it would be the key or lever to gain access to the facility. He figured the revelation would be in the facility. There was something there that RT-897 probably wanted. If Carpo could get it, he might have a bargaining chip to use on the droid, even though he was already bargaining.

The Jedi stood and watched Carpo scour the room. Carpo looked under seats, in vents, behind banners, on the floor, at wall panels, and everywhere in between. He had searched nearly the entire sanctuary before the Jedi decided to speak up.

“May I offer a suggestion?” The Jedi recommended.

“Its not more words of wisdom, is it?” Carpo joked, continuing to look.

“You may say that. I remember your friend, Ruin in here earlier looking for a leaking power source. He found it coming from up near the podium. That is where he was attacked last. I would think that it held significance of some sort. You might want to try there?” The Jedi suggested.

Carpo looked up at the podium, which held the Nonziahner. Carpo walked up to it, checking the podium first for any spirits, then tapped the screen. The computer came alive with a small search bar at the top right corner. Carpo looked on disappointed. He typed in an entry command, but a small box appeared saying “Error: Incorrect Search”. He needed Ruin.

Stepping down from the podium, Carpo knew he was going to need to take the time to walk down and talk with Ruin. He knew that it was time Lymn did not have, but he figured he would be wasting more time trying to figure the podium out than it would take to walk across the hall to talk with Ruin. Carpo glanced at the datapad and saw Lymn lying there. He knew he had to move quickly.

Carpo darted out of the sanctuary and back to the Power Hall. He met Ruin in the hallway, right where he left him. Ruin was standing in the doorway, paying attention to the monitors. He caught a glimpse of Carpo running down the hallway towards him, he thought maybe things were done. He started to raise his rifle in case, when Carpo cried out.

“No!” Carpo shouted. “Don’t!”

Ruin was confused, but did not want to blow the opportunity and played dumb.

“What do you need? Is everything done?” Ruin asked.

“I need you to tell me what you talked about with Raito. And is it the podium?” Carpo inquired, trying to catch his breath.

“What?” Ruin replied, this time thoroughly confused.

“When you talked with Raito, did he say where the hall was and how to open it? The hall—to the research?” Carpo barked.

“Uh—yeah. Wait, is that what you need to do? Access the research facility?” Ruin wondered.

“Yes. I was just in the sanctuary. Now, is it the podium and if so, what is the access code?” Carpo ordered.

“Oh, uh. Raito said that there was no exact code. It was the main passage from the sermon that week. There’s no way for us to know what it was. It would take years to guess it.” Ruin replied.

Carpo stood in place, catching his breath. He wasn’t going to give up.

“I’m sorry, sir.” Ruin apologized.

“It’s not your fault. Don’t worry.” Carpo stated, “There has to be a way.”

Carpo thought for a second, trying to remember everything that had been talked about prior in the conversation earlier that day. He sifted through ideas. Anything that seemed familiar, he would focus on until he got to an item that distinguished it apart from the conversation. It took him a little while, but he suddenly remembered.

“Triv.” Carpo whispered.

“Sir, Triv is gone.” Ruin pointed out.

“I know.” Carpo replied, smiling, “Oh, and keep your comlink on.”

He ran off and back towards the stairwell. He ran up to the Residential Hall. Slipping into the hallway that held Triv’s old living quarters, he raced back into his room. The stench seemed to be less than before. Carpo figured the ventilation system was the reason for that. He opened the door to the room and raced over to the bedroom. He opened the door and lying in bed was the little girl he had helped.

His heart dropped when he saw her. It had only been two days ago that that whole event occurred. So much had happened since then. So much had changed. When they first arrived, they thought the station was abandoned. When they first met Triv, they thought a massacre had happened. Now, Carpo was starting to discover that it was more than a massacre. It was a political strike at the cost of innocent lives.

It sickened him to think that the little girl died because of two greedy executives at war. He brushed the thought off and started looking in the room for any notebooks or loose paper. He knew that they were more traditional within the convent, so any sermon notes would be written on paper. Carpo opened a drawer, which held articles of clothing. He kept searching the room until he found the right drawer.

He finally discovered it. It happened to be full of notebooks. He picked the top one up and started flipping through it. He figured the top one would be the most recent one since they would be using it often and want to keep it in an accessible place. Carpo reached the last entry in the book, which happened to be about halfway through. The writing, however, was written in Chiss.

Carpo pulled out his multi-lingual translator and scanned the page. The translator would analyze the page and determine the language. Once it did that, it would translate the words into whatever language the user selected, even translating colloquialisms. Carpo had the device recite the page to him in Basic.

“Melona third, year nine hundred and eighty-two. Sermon: Otkobehne chaper 4, versus nine through thirteen. In the year of the Jat’ey, wars will become great, so great that not even the tribe of Nepanrib can escape. They will cause wars, but not wars to bring destruction. They will cause wars to bring peace, the peace of Jat’ey. Through him, the galaxy will find unity and joy.” The translator quoted.

Carpo deactivated it. He had heard enough. He knew exactly what the access code was. He stood up and packed the page from the notebook in one of his pouches. Immediately, he darted down to the sanctuary. There, the Jedi was still waiting for him by the podium.

Carpo hopped up on the stage and tapped the computer screen. When the search bar came up he typed in “Otkobehne 4:9-13.” Instantaneously, the screen came alive with the passage from the specific book within the Nonziahner. Nothing happened. Carpo figured that he needed to maybe highlight the verses to open the passageway. He tried reading the words, but since they were in Ruusan, he could not tell what it said. He glanced at the pages and noticed that some numbers looked similar to Basic.

So, he guessed which number was the ninth verse and highlighted four verses. Still nothing happened. Carpo started to get frustrated, knowing he was so close to finishing the task. He was so near to saving Lymn. He was on the verge of completing his duty. Yet, he could not. Carpo rested his hand on the screen, accidentally tapping the passage. The screen flashed white, and then switched off.

Carpo retracted his arms in shock. He thought for a split second that he might have broken the computer, which would mean the end of Lymn. His heart dropped, but only until he heard the pale shriek of metal scraping behind him. A smile fell on his face. He turned around and saw the wall panel opening behind him. He spun back around and pulled out the datapad.

Placing it on the podium, Carpo kept his eye out for Riina. He hoped that RT-897 saw that he accomplished his task. He hoped he didn’t have to go down there and inform him personally. He contemplated doing so, just to make sure. But as he reached up to grab the datapad, he saw Riina rush into the cell and drag Lymn out. He let out a deep sigh of joy that echoed through the sanctuary like a blaster shot.

“You did it.” A familiar voice said from behind him. It sounded like the Jedi to Carpo.

“Yeah.” Carpo acknowledged.

Carpo spun around to thank the Jedi for his work, but stopped in his tracks when he saw that it was not the Jedi at all. Before him was a man in his late thirties, with black hair slicked back. He wore glasses, instead of wearing optic enhancers. A brief smirk hung on his mouth. He strolled out casually holding his hands out to greet Carpo, as if he was familiar with his surroundings. Little did Carpo know, he was staring straight at the Director.

“Welcome to the Revelation.”

''' To Be Continued... '''