Star Wars: Echoes in the Void/The Passageway

'''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.'''

''A blue liquid, more viscous than water, gently poured into a small cylindrical vial. A scientist present lifted the vial for examination. Twitching his hand, the scientist caused the liquid to slowly twirl within the container. No color change occurred. This was a positive sign. He placed the vial back inside the holding canister, along with five other tubes of the same substance. Closing the canister, and picking it up by the handle, the scientist moved from his workbench back towards the sealed door.''

''He and six other scientists in the lab were clad in traditional biohazard suits, not for their protection but to eliminate any foreign contaminants that might hinder the procedure. Gliding past his co-workers, the scientist took extreme precaution, even stopping in his footsteps to allow others to pass. When he was carrying was of great importance. When he approached the sealed doors, two guards, also appareled in the biohazard suits, halted his progression. ''

''“Identification?” The guard on the right insisted. ''

''Carefully, the scientist slid his left hand from under the canister and pulled his ID badge to where the guards could see it closer. They cleared him through and he walked through. On the other side, a small hallway proceeded to a “T” intersection. On the left side was a cool storage unit. On the right side was heating storage unit. The scientist progressed on until he reached the “T” intersection. Once at the conjunction, he pivoted right. ''

''Stopping at the door to swipe his ID badge, the scientist progressed into the heating storage unit. Setting the canister on the nearest shelf, he took a labeler and wrote on it, “Batch 42, separation successful”. He left the heating storage unit, returned down the hallways and out the exit through the lab. He removed his airtight biohazard suit and waited for the air lock to adjust levels to equal outside the lab. Once he was cleared to go, the scientist exited the Laboratory Area. ''

''He proceeded on his way, weaving his way through an industrial looking series of halls. He passed familiar faces on the way, men and women had had worked with for years. Finally, he reached the end of his journey. He found himself in front of the Director’s office. He had an appointment. Better yet, he had good news. ''

''The scientist stood outside the door, waiting for confirmation from the guards posted outside that he might enter. Once he did, the scientist entered into a small council room, where the Director’s secretary was positioned at the far end. She was waiting for him to lead in into the Director’s office. ''

''“Follow me, he has been waiting for you.” The secretary stated, pointing him in the direction of the office door. ''

''The secretary guided him through the doorway and into the office, where the Director sat. He was standing, looking at a large map. On the map, a small freighter slowly inched its way closer to what appeared to be a space station. The scientist was intrigued that the Director observed everything that occurred on the station. The scientist glanced around the room and noticed another man in the far corner, who sat staring at him. ''

''“Director, your next meeting has arrived. A Dr. Thim Kal’rik.” The secretary spoke up.''

''The Director pivoted around to see the scientist, Thim Kal’rik, staring at his guest in the corner. He smiled, knowing that the doctor was confused. He took a step forward to gain his attention. The doctor turned to look at the Director. ''

''“I hear you have good news for me?” The Director brought up. ''

''“Uh, yes, sir. We have successful separated forty-two batches. We are on schedule to start testing.” Thim reported. ''

''“Good. Good.” The Director acknowledged. ''

''A faint beep goes off in the background. The Director turns his attention to the map. ''

''“They’ve arrived at the facility.” The man in the corner raised his voice. ''

''“Yes. I see that. Is everything in place for the tests?” The Director inquired. ''

''“The floors are cleared and the holograms are activated.” The man replied. ''

“Good.” The Director declared, picking up a remote, “Now, let’s see who has come to visit us?” 

''The Director pushes a button, which activates a small security screen just to the right of the map. Thim and the man in the corner look on mesmerized. The screen shows movement of several fuzzy objects in the background of an empty hanger, with only spare parts scattered around. They continue watching and beings exit the vehicles. They peer around the hanger and slowly progress towards the camera. When they come into view, the Director pushes another button and freezes the frame. ''

“Take a look at our new guests, Dr. Kal’rik.” The Director stated, glancing at the man in the corner, “Let’s see if they can pass our test?” 

''On the screen is a frozen image of the Retribution Squad as they are progressing towards the control room door. Thim and the man in the corner peer on.''

Riina stood in place allowing the pounding vibrations of the sonic shower eradicated the dirt and grim from her skin. It had been two days since she was able to clean herself and she knew no greater joy than the feel of dead skin falling from her body. She longed to wash away the previous day’s encounters, when she learned the truth about her employer.

In that single moment, she could not recall another time when she had felt so much hatred towards a single human being—if he could be called that. Along with the dirt and grim, fell her feelings about this mission and remained was a genuine concern for the people who had suffered. Though she had not participated in the massacre personally, she still felt guilty through association. She regretted the day she dropped out of the Academy. She regretted the day she joined up with Carpo. She regretted the day she felt she was not good enough. This was her test.

Taking a deep breath, she deactivated the shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel. She took two steps before realizing that she was not wet, therefore did not need the towel. Looking around, she considered dropping it, when she remembered the lock to the door was not activated since Ruin had to shut down some of the utilities to divert power to the core units. She tied a knot at the top of the towel to hold it up and let it dangle as she approached the mirror.

Riina stared at her worn face. A few days ago she was pleased with what she saw in the mirror. Now, she saw the appearance of an old woman. This experience had aged her. She was only thirty-five, but that did not matter. No amount of previous experience can prepare you to handle a situation like this. She glanced away from the reflection, afraid to look anymore. She turned on the facet to splash water on her face, hoping to wake her up and bring her back to reality.

The water started out warm, which felt good against her still cold hands. As she gathered a pool of water in her cupped hands, she noticed the water shift to frigid cold instantly. Dropping the pool of water, she stepped back from the sink. Her first thought was that Ruin had deactivated the hot water ducts to preserve power, but then she looked up.

Staring into the mirror, this time she could not make out her reflection. A thick frost started glossing over the panel, before settling as the profile of a face looking straight on her. Her heart raced. Dew drops of sweat started to seep onto her skin. Her eyes shifted from the mirror to the door. It was just a few feet away. In a matter of milliseconds she could be out the door and safe. She glanced back up at the mirror to see if there had been any change.

Part of her felt like screaming out for help. Another kept her subdued. She wanted to know what would happen next, yet she feared the outcome. She was curious. Her sight slowly started to cloud over. She felt the pressure of her heart pounding blood to her head. Her breath hastened. She felt as if she had to gulp for air. The first time out of her suit, she struggled to breathe without her life support already. Her legs grew weak. She was forced to stay. She collapsed on the toilet behind her. Any thought of escape collapsed with her.

Managing to keep her gaze on the mirror by propping her body against the back of the commode, she watched as a Wanderer slipped through the mirror, sink, and refresher wall. It was different than the previous one that had appeared to her. This one was a female. At least she did not feel ashamed to be in only a towel. The thought caught her as ironic.

Catching glimpse of Riina, the Wanderer glided over in front of her and knelt down. Riina’s heart rate lessened. There was something else different about this one than the ones that had attacked her before. This one showed no signs of violence. It showed no sign of hatred. It almost appeared to be kneeling in a way of begging. Finally, it spoke.

“Help us.”

Her voice was soft. Echoing in the empty room, it appeared desperate, almost as if she was pleading with Riina. The two words calmed Riina’s spirit. Her heartbeat had lessened so much, she felt as if she was weak. Her breathing normalized and her sight had returned. She could see the figure before her clearly. The ghost was that of a beautiful woman, that is when she was actually alive.

“What…” Riina hesitated to say anything, feeling weird speaking to something that was not physically there, “What can I do to help?”

One floor below, Ruin, Carpo, and Lymn were working on figuring out the power generator. It had been a long, grueling seven hours, but they managed to get it in and installed. Ruin was double-checking power levels, switching systems on and off to check for leaks, or disconnections. Carpo sat and observed, power napping from time to time, while Lymn continued to replay the security footage Riina had discovered. He had downloaded onto his data-pad.

“I don’t get it.” Lymn stated, confused.

“You don’t get what?” Carpo spoke up, knowing he was going to regret asking. It would probably lead to an in depth conversation.

“Well, okay. The security footage of everyday life suggests that this facility is nothing more than a colony. So, why would Palpatine want to kill everyone on board?” Lymn inquired.

“Is there anything to suggest that they are pro-Republic?” Carpo answered, knowing the answer he would get.

“Nothing except the large banister in the main lobby. But, even than was probably put there because of the era it was founded in. The only other thing is the temple. But, why would Palpatine be so opposed to E’d’ists? They never posed any political threat to him. I didn’t know he knew of their whereabouts.” Lymn reasoned.

“Maybe he is the ultimate evil your cult believes will end the universe.” Carpo mocked.

Lymn said nothing. He allowed the sarcastic comments to bounce off of him. He also did not allow it to hinder his judgment of Carpo. Lymn knew that Carpo was a strong leader and was only saying those things because he was exhausted. Of course, since he was so tired, he was probably speaking more truth than Lymn wanted to deal with.

“I’m going to go talk with Artee.” Lymn stated, standing up.

“Why?” Carpo retorted, leaning up, “He’s a droid. Any information he has is stored in his computer. Why waste time talking to him if we can get Ruin, here, to plug him in and retrieve the information that way?”

“Because I have a feeling he likes being treated like he’s important. That sort of respect could convince him to help us and become an ally.” Lymn replied, walking off. He didn’t bother wait and see what Carpo had to say in response.

Once Lymn was gone, Ruin felt compelled to speak up.

“You know, he’s a good kid.” Ruin acknowledged, not looking away from the computer.

“What are you talking about?” Carpo asked.

“Lymn. He’s a good kid. You don’t have to treat him like garbage all the time just because he is the new guy. I know you have your moments, but most of the time you treat him like he’s just getting in the way. I find it hard to believe that he would remain that loyal to you after all the crap you’ve put him through. So much so, I’m starting to think there’s some truth to that religion of his.” Ruin explained.

“So, are you saying I should go soft on him?” Carpo wondered.

“No. I’m just saying that respect he was talking about is what he is looking for from you. You should try showing it to him more often. Maybe that seemingly unconditional loyalty he shows you will pay off someday for you. It’s just something to think about.” Ruin clarified.

“If I didn’t already respect you enough to listen to you, I wouldn’t care what is coming out of your mouth. But, since you said it, I’ll think about it. Better yet, I’ll sleep on it.” Carpo replied, standing up, “I’m going to go take a nap. Are you going to be okay in here alone?”

“We have mutinous droids, vicious ghosts, a Jedi who has died, and we’re still getting power to the station. What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Ruin joked, turning to look at Carpo.

“Famous last words, right there.” Carpo joked, exiting the room. Ruin turned back and continued working on the computer.

While he was restarting several systems, he noticed the power levels drain in the upper quadrant of the station. He decided to examine it further, but hit a firewall when he tried to enter a secured area. The computer asked him for identification. Ruin noticed a card slot just to the right of the keyboard and pulled out Triv’s ID card. He gave it a try. It worked, but then he hit another firewall. The computer asked him for his identification verification password. If only Triv was still alive to ask him, Ruin thought. Then he tried remembering the various things about him he had learned.

He entered Triv’s daughters name, after guessing how to spell it. It failed. He tried his wife’s name, but that failed too. He then tried his wife’s common name, “Lwen”, but that was denied as well. Finally, he remembered the video of their trip to Naboo. It had meant a lot to Triv. He typed in “Naboo”. Still, he could not get through the firewall. If he had his equipment, which he had left at their station, he could break the firewall. He was going to have to think of another way to break through.

He tried isolating the firewall, but ran into another. Whatever it was, it did not want him to know where it was. Finally, he resorted to switching off the power to the entire upper level. He figured if there was a secondary power deposit, there would have to be a passage way to it somewhere. If there was, there was the possibility that it might leak power into the upper levels.

He waited for the computer to boot up again. When it did, he scanned the floor for any inconsistencies. There was one on each level in the same location. It appeared to be a turbo lift shaft. Ruin suddenly remembered Triv’s wife mention that Triv had access to a secure turbo lift that led to the lower levels. Ruin memorized the location and downloaded it to his datapad.

He switched the power back on and walked out of the power room. He glanced down the hallway to the turbo lift that led to the power grid below. He looked back at his datapad to verify the location; however, he noticed that the turbo lift that leaked the power was on the other side of the station. This intrigued him and he started walking off in that location.

On the other side of the station, Lymn made his way to the prison cell where they held RT-897. He just switched off his rifle flashlight, as Ruin had just revived the power to the upper level. He did not especially like walking in the dark, but he figured Ruin was doing a check or at least something important enough to frighten him. Regardless of the scare, Lymn trekked on.

He reached the prison cell and activated the door. It was much nicer not having to pry everything open anymore. For a while, he had thought he had taken the automatic door for granted. Now, he was just reaping the blessing once more. Inside the small cell sat RT-897, or Artee as Lymn had gotten fond of calling him, sat clutched up in the far left corner. His bright visual receptors turned to face Lymn. He almost appeared happy to see him.

Sitting up, Artee followed Lymn as he progressed to the metal slab that represented a bed. Somehow, Artee knew what was about to happen. His expression shifted from excitement to distress. His face was solid metal, yet he could give the most genuine and convicting expressions. Lymn had to remind himself often that Artee was just a droid.

“Artee, what aren’t you telling us?” Lymn inquired, not bothering to look at the droid not wanting to feel guilty.

“What do you mean?” Artee responded, confused.

“There was something going on here that was not captured in the security footage. I have a feeling you know what it was. So, what was it?” Lymn rephrased his question.

Artee remained silent. It appeared as if his programming was not able to respond to these questions—or was designed to avoid them. Lymn knew that he was going to have to bypass the programming to attack it. He had to put his religious ideals aside and lie to get the truth. He hoped that E’d’I would forgive him for this. Lymn turned and looked Artee directly in the eyes. In that single moment, he had compassion for the droid and knew he could not lie.

“Artee, I want to help you. But if you don’t tell me, my partners will just hook you up to the computer and access the information they want anyway. I don’t want them to do that. I want them to be able to trust you like I trust you.” Lymn explained.

At that, Artee perked up. If was as if Lymn had let something slip that he should not have and Artee had picked up on it. He tilted his head, curious. He glanced off to the wall beside him and started speaking to it.

“Are you an E’d’ist, sir?” Artee requested.

“Why do you ask?” Lymn wondered.

“Do you believe in E’d’I?” Artee inquired again.

“Yes.” Lymn responded, finally giving in. He knew he was weak.

“Do you believe in a war that is beyond our understanding? I do. I believe that I am a servant of E’d’I. As a servant, I believe that I am also a warrior for E’d’I.” Artee explained.

“How can you believe that? You are a droid.” Lymn asked, confused.

“It is in my programming. I cannot go against it. I must obey E’d’I.” Artee clarified.

“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would your creators program you to believe in an unknown? How could they do that?” Lymn wondered.

“Simple. I have a program that says to obey and I operate that command.” Artee described.

“But that doesn’t explain why they did that. What need would your creators have with a believing droid?” Lymn questioned.

“I do not know. They kept saying that I was made to fight the evil. Since you are a believer of E’d’I, maybe you can tell me what this evil is? They always told me I would know when the time is right.” Artee stated, looking over at Lymn.

In that moment, Lymn realized what Artee was. He was a not a security droid—he was an assassin droid. This facility was training martyrs. They were after something, or someone. Lymn decided to radio Carpo to tell him the information. But as attempted to, his audio receptor started beeping.

Raising his rifle knowing it was useless, he panned the dimly light prison cell. He saw nothing. The room was empty, save for he and Artee. He panned again, activating his flashlight to give him a better view. Still, there was nothing. The haunting beeping continued. He stood up from the bed and turned around. There it was. Standing behind him, reaching out to grab him, eyes red and a grimacing look on his face. A chill ran down Lymn’s spine.

Fearing it was a warning, Lymn pivoted around to see another spirit behind him. He, too, reached out for Lymn. As Lymn started to panic, he noticed several more spirits slip through the walls of the cell, slowly creeping their way towards him. Clawing for him, Lymn quickly found himself surrounded. His heartbeat hastened. His vision blurred and darkened. Sweat started dripping from his brow. His muscles froze.

He struggled to face the original ghost. When he finally managed to get him in his view, the spirit had merely stepped a few inches closer. Lymn’s breathing grew weaker. He struggled to inhale. The oxygen levels lessened to his brain. The last thing Lymn saw was the phantom clenching up just before it sprang forward and clutched his heart. Lymn dropped to the ground and faded out of consciousness.

Ruin reached the point of origin for the leaked power source. Looking around, he noticed he had wandered into the sanctuary of the temple. He had been paying close attention to his datapad that he completely ignored his surroundings. Figuring the leak had to come from somewhere in the room, he zoomed in on the room and tried to isolate the leak within the room. He took a few steps forward when a faint beeping echoed in his ear.

His audio receptors picked up something in the room. He spun around, his rifle raised. He saw nothing. He panned the room hoping to find something, or someone. With the lights on, he figured it would be easier to spot a spirit, but he was seeing nothing. He switched his vision to infrared, hoping that he might be able to pick up a heating pattern. If the ghosts were responsible for the chilling shiver down his spine, he might be able to pick up an emission source. There was nothing.

He switched back to normal vision when suddenly before him, the Jedi stood facing away from him, staring at the alter. He seemed captivated by it. Ruin caught his breath and circled around the Jedi. His gaze never shifted from the altar to meet Ruin’s. Finally, he broke the silence.

“I have heard the stories of the cult of E’d’I. They are similar to we Jedi. They believe in an ultimate force that binds the universe and empowers them. They believe in two sides to this force—the good, benevolent side and the evil, infectious side. Our two beliefs are so similar, some consider the cult of E’d’I to be the Force for the common people. The difference is our powers. We can access the physical nature of the Force. They claim to access a deeper spiritual nature of their force. I never thought I would one day witness one of their temples.” The Jedi acknowledged.

“Why do you say that?” Ruin wondered.

“Their society is so secretive, they rarely make themselves seen. They are pacifists, not activists. They believe in being, not necessarily doing—unless they do it quietly or without glory to themselves. They are monastic to an extent.” The Jedi explained.

“But—Lymn is an E’d’ist? He seems to be more of an activist.” Ruin noted.

The Jedi turned to look at Ruin. A look of curiosity glistened in his eye.

“Are you so sure he is what you think he is?” The Jedi probed.

The Jedi had a point. Lymn was very secretive. Ever since he joined, Lymn had not released much information about himself except for his religious orientation. Everything else about the man was elusive. As far as he knew, Carpo had conducted no background on him. He had no records to Ruin’s knowledge. The man had no history. Maybe Lymn was not who he thought he was.

The thought pierced Ruin. He had just defended the man and here he was now convicting him of treason in his mind. He was the one guilt, betraying his own like that. Regardless of Lymn’s past, he was now a member of the Retribution Squad. He was a colleague, a wingmate, a brother. Ruin could not ask for a better man to have his back.

“I don’t think he would try to deceive us. After all, isn’t one of the premises of their religion honesty?” Ruin inquired.

The thought hit him that he was confiding in a spirit. He was talking to a dead man. He nearly burst into laughter at the thought, but considered it inappropriate in the presence of the spirit in question. He shook the thought away, along with the thoughts of Lymn. He needed to get back to his primary mission at hand—finding the location of the turbo lift.

Ruin strolled over to the altar. Glancing at his datapad, he discovered that the leak appeared to be coming from the altar itself. He leaped up onto the platform and examined the platform more carefully. There were no visible ports, slits, or any signs of a doorway or lift. The platform was a solid structure. Ruin stood baffled.

He tried to figure out how power could be leaking through the platform. He glanced up at the shelf of the altar and noticed a small computer portal. This intrigued him. He figured it was not powered by the upper levels, but was somehow linked to the lower levels. He tapped the screen. The computer chimed to life in a blink, displaying a search bar. Ruin looked at the screen puzzled. He typed in “up” but nothing occurred. He tried other words like “activate”, “rise”, and “power on” but still nothing changed.

When he paused to think, he noticed a small random search button below the bar. He tapped it and in an instant the screen appeared to flip pages over until it rested on a passage. Ruin probed the page and realized that this was not a computer terminal. It was the Nonziahner, the E’d’ist’s holy book. The entire book had been programmed into the terminal and that was the only thing searchable. Ruin suddenly felt ignorant staring at this book.

Ruin continued flipping through pages. He rather enjoyed getting to read something different. He scanned various passages, curious to its contents. He wanted to know if some of the stories he had heard were true. He looked up the life of some of their alleged prophets. The religion, however, was fairly new and the book only contained excerpts from the lives of the five main prophets, and the founder of the religion. Ruin was slightly disappointed.

Closing the book, he peered up at the Jedi who stood stiff staring just barely behind him. At that moment, a cool shiver ran down his spine. Ruin knew he was in trouble. Trying not to show any obvious signs of movement, he slowly pivoted his head, hoping to get a glimmer of what might be behind him.

Judging from the Jedi’s reaction, it was worse than what he might be expecting. The Jedi’s eyes insisted urgency to get down from the podium. His open mouth suggested awe in a sight he had not witnessed before. His slow breathing inferred shock that such an event could occur. Behind Ruin stood nearly ten souls reaching out, hoping to claim his consciousness like they did Lymn in the prison cell.

Ruin managed to rotate his head a good forty-five degrees when he noticed the warning repetitive beep in his receptors. He knew that they were still a good several feet away. Ruin, tempted to just spin around in hopes to catch the spirits off guard, hesitated to move. He felt heavy, almost cemented to the dais. He could not do something.

“Ruin, we need you in the Residential Area, ASAP!” Carpo called over the comlink with a sense of urgency.

The call was just enough to snap him back to reality and get his legs moving. Ruin rushed passed the Jedi, who turned to join him. Ruin never looked back, knowing the sight would instill a fear in him that would allow him to never return. In this case, not knowing the danger made it possible for him to return. The fear of the unknown became the seduction of the unknown. Ruin left the temple and quickly raced back to the Residential Hall to join the others.

During that incident, and while Lymn confronted Artee, Carpo had finally reached the Residential Hall, where he planned to relax. It had taken him twice as long due to the injury he sustained wrestling the metal droid to the ground. He arrived at the room the group designated as their resting quarters. Located across the hall from where the Jedi’s body and the little girl had been found, the group wanted separation from the dark memory of those two bodies and away from the stench.

Carpo entered the room and sat down on one of the chairs, gripping his side as he did so. He sat down two hard and he felt the impact ripple through the right half of his rib cage. He figured he had to have broken at least one or two ribs tackling RT-897. Removing his helmet, he started to remove his airtight vac suit to get a better look.

Before he managed to get the torso section unlatched, Riina exited the bathroom, dressed in only her bodyglove, which members of the squad wore underneath their suit. A look of revelation and excitement fell over her face when she saw Carpo. Taken aback at the sight of Riina in such a form-fitting, and flattering, garment, Carpo stumbled to find words to acknowledge her.

“What—uh—did—was the shower nice?” Carpo acknowledged, only realizing the stupidity of his statement after he said it. He tried to recover the moment, “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to come out like—that.”

“I have to show you something.” Riina insisted.

Carpo sat back, worried at the meaning of her statement. Riina had never shown interest in Carpo in the past, but close quarters and eerie settings have been known to do strange things to a person’s psyche. Knowing that it would be inappropriate for anything to happen between the two fought to find the right words to speak. Before he could say anything, Riina turned around and stared into the bathroom. Carpo braced himself for what might come next.

Riina motioned to something within the refresher to enter. Carpo’s mind happened to be elsewhere and he missed the motion. Before he knew it, a woman spirit glided through the wall. Within seconds, Carpo snapped back to reality. He quickly reached for his gun, jerking his side. The pain caused him to stop and lean forward. Riina tried to calm Carpo.

“Wait. Don’t worry. She doesn’t want to harm us. She needs our help.” Riina explained.

“Our help? For what?” Carpo inquired.

“We need your help to be free.” The female spirit cried out.

Carpo turned his attention to her.

“Carpo, I’ve just spent the last several minutes talking with her. Apparently, there was an underground research mission underneath this facility. Everything on these upper levels was a decoy to distract any visitors, inspectors, or invaders from the true nature of what was going on here. That explains why no one knew what was occurring here. That’s why the Emperor attacked.” Riina explained.

“How do you know this?” Carpo insisted, staring at the spirit.

“I was a teacher here. As a teacher, we were not only responsible for the education of the children, but we were also apprentices to the priests. This is not a research facility. I want you to understand. This is a convent, where underground research happened to occur. Our priest, the Director of the convent, would often journey to these labs to oversee the research.” The phantom clarified.

“Did you ever see him travel there?” Carpo wondered.

“Unfortunately, no. I never witnessed him go there. But I overheard him talking about it several times.” The ghost answered, knowing she was being interrogated.

“So, you have no idea where the passageway might be?” Carpo inquired.

“No. But I do know of someone who might know. His name was Rift’riv’alloto. He was the chief engineer. He had security access to the passageway and I know he would travel there often.” The woman described.

“Triv?” Carpo spoke, his curiosity peaking.

“You know of him?” The female spirit asked, surprised.

“Yes. He was the first person we ran into in this facility. But, he has passed on. There is no way he can help us.” Carpo explained.

“Maybe he kept a journal, or a log of some kind?” Riina suggested.

“No, as a member of the convent, we were not allowed to keep records. The only journal entries that he would have would be the sermon that day. If we wrote, we could only be vague about details.” The woman clarified.

“That is some religion you live by.” Carpo commented, sarcastically.

“You mean—you are not one of us?” The female inquired, “Then how did you learn of the facility? Only those of E’d’I know of their locations.”

Carpo suddenly felt compelled to lie. He knew that it was against their religion, but he also knew he was not exactly one of them. He just needed to pretend like one. Hopefully, that would get them to trust him and divulge the information he needed to figure out what happened on this facility.

“We stumbled upon—“ Riina started to answer, but Carpo cut her off.

“We come from a more liberal sect. My apologies if I have offended you in any way.” Carpo stated.

Riina peered at him, curious as to why he lied to the spirit. Why would Carpo need to lie? The woman was dead. It was not like she would hold the comment against him. Riina noted this as strange for Carpo, knowing he tried his hardest to remain an honest man.

“It is all right. I understand that our religion has many views, some varying from the far conservative to the far liberal. I hold nothing against you. You seem to be a trustworthy man.” The female complimented.

Her head perked up, almost as if she remembered something. A smile grew on her face. He looked back at Carpo.

“I just remembered another person who might know of the passageway’s location. My brother, a good friend of Triv’s, helped him on a couple occasions when we were short a few hands. He might know of the location, but I don’t know where he might be. He worked in the cargo bay.” The woman remembered.

Carpo suddenly remembered the spirit that they had left behind in the second cargo bay they had inspected, the one with the horde of dead bodies. He didn’t know much about him though. Ruin was the person who had more contact with him. Ruin. Carpo suddenly remembered that he was in the power room still, or so he thought. He activated his comlink and called for Ruin.

“Ruin, we need you in the Residential Area, ASAP!” Carpo ordered.

It did not take long before Ruin arrived at the room, along with the Jedi. When he got there, he took a step back, surprised to see the spirit among his colleagues so calmly. He started to raise his rifle when he caught a glimpse of Riina motioning him not to. He sensed that there was something serious going on and that they might finally get to the bottom of everything.

“What did you call me in here for?” Ruin asked.

“This lady, here, is a teacher here and also an apprentice to the priest. She has informed us that there are in fact lower levels to this convent that hold several research labs. What of, she doesn’t know. She also doesn’t know where the passageway is located exactly, but she knows of someone who does—“ Carpo started to explain, when Ruin cut him off.

“It’s located in the sanctuary.” Ruin stated.

“How do you know this?” Carpo wondered.

“I just came from there.” Ruin clarified, handing Carpo his datapad, “I was investigating where appeared to be a power leak from the lower levels. I went into the sanctuary where I found that the exact location of the leak was at the altar.”

“That would make sense since our priest made frequent visits to the research labs.” The female supported Ruin.

“Did you figure out how to access the passageway?” Carpo inquired.

“No,” Ruin paused when he realized their company, “I was visited.”

Carpo knew exactly when Ruin meant. He had nearly been attacked.

“The Jedi, here, helped me get away, though.” Ruin stated, acknowledging the Jedi’s presence.

“I thank you.” Carpo conveyed.

The Jedi recognized his appreciation, nodding his head. Ruin decided to bring the conversation back to the topic of gaining an entrance to the passageway.

“So, who is this person you know who might confirm whether the entrance is in the sanctuary?” Ruin wondered.

“My brother, Raito Flak.” The female responded.

Ruin remembered Raito. The look of hope on his face when Ruin promised to let him know if he ever found his sister came pouring back to his memory. That look of hope could finally be completed. Ruin almost felt a weight lift off his shoulders knowing he would be able to complete his secondary objective. The weight lifted knowing he would be able to keep his promise.

“You’re Raito’s sister?” Ruin inquired.

“You know Raito? You’ve seen him? Where is he? How is he?” The female questioned.

Ruin knew that he could not find the words to explain to her what had happened. He did not fully understand what had occurred, himself. He figured the best explanation was in an artifact. Opening up his supply canister, he pulled out Raito’s earring. Keeping it concealed in his fist, he reached out towards the woman and opened his hand. She recognized it instantly.

“Raito. No.” She said calmly, “Is he--?”

Ruin nodded his head, interpreting her incomplete question. The look of disappointment fell over her. Yet, at the same time, she could not stop smiling. The three were confused at her expression. She let out a quick giggle. She looked up at the three, who were now trying not to show their confusion.

“He always wondered what death would be like. He even wanted to experience it. He felt that by coming out here, he would experience a sort of death to part of him. He felt that part of his nature would die after being separated from the world he knew for so long. He wanted that so dearly. I wanted that, too.

“That is why I agreed to join him. He thought that I was leaving my husband, but the truth is my husband died in the war. I had nothing else to go to.” The spirit explained, and looked up at Ruin, “If you see him again, tell him that I don’t blame him. He is not responsible for my joining him. Tell him, Mia left on of her own volition. If he asks how you know, tell him my story.”

Ruin nodded his head. At that, she left them in a beam of light. Everyone took a deep breath. They paused a moment out of respect for the woman, for Mia. When the moment seemed to pass, Carpo stood up. Struggling at first, he ignored the pain and stood to his feet.

“Alright. What do we know?” Carpo inquired.

“We know that this convent was a cover for secret research being conducted by the priest and Director of this place. We know there is an access point, most likely in the sanctuary and that there is a person who can confirm or deny that information.” Riina explained.

“Good. Ruin, you go find Raito and see what he knows. Since he seemed to trust you with the information about his sister, you seem best to talk to him. Riina and I will head to the detention cells to see what Lymn has managed to get out of our droid friend. We’ll meet you back down there.” Carpo ordered.

“No, Captain. You are going to get your ribs wrapped so you don’t cause any more damage. Then we will head down.” Riina demanded. This caught Carpo off guard, but he accepted the order, knowing it was for the best.

Ruin nodded in acknowledgement and raced out the door. That was all Carpo needed to know Ruin understood the task at hand. They were starting to unravel the mystery of the facility, or convent as they had just learned. Clue by clue, they began to understand what was going on. There was something underground that Palpatine caught wind of and apparently did not like. He ordered for them to be eradicated. It was appearing, so far, that he had accomplished his mission.

Ruin reached the top level quickly. He realized that this had been the first time he was on the top level since they had traveled to the cargo bay the first time. Even though it had only been the previous day, the events spanning in between seemed to span a longer time. Ruin could not believe that they had only been at the facility for only a day. At that, it had not even been a full day. One of the seductions of the convent was that time moved slower on the inside.

Ruin arrived at the cargo bay, passing the spot where Triv once laid, and entered the airlock. He arrived at the control room and entered it. He walked over to where Raito’s decomposing body lay, but could not find Raito at the station he had been at earlier. Raito scanned the room looking for any presence. Finally, he heard a faint beep in his audio receptors. A smile grew on his face. It was the only time he was happy to hear that noise. Ruin turned around to see Raito staring him in the face. Ruin gave a sigh of relief.

“You’ve returned?” Raito asked.

“Yes. And I have good news. We found your sister, or better yet, she found us.” Ruin explained quickly.

“She came to you?” Raito wondered, almost in disbelief, “Was she—like me?”

“I’m afraid so. I’m terribly sorry. I gave her your earring and she passed through. She is now waiting for you.” Ruin apologized.

“How do I know for sure that you speak the truth?” Raito inquired.

Ruin told him Mia’s story. He said everything she told him to say. Raito looked as if he were about to cry. Soft sobs escaped his mouth as he sat down on the chair. The words touched him. He looked back up at Ruin.

“Anything you need, I will gladly help you with.” Raito stated.

“Thank you. I appreciate your generosity. We, actually, do need your help. Well, we have found what we think is an access to the lower levels in the sanctuary. Your sister told us that you were good friends with Triv and even traveled with him when you were short of hands. Is this true?” Ruin questioned.

“Yes. I traveled with Triv. And, yes, the passageway is in the sanctuary. Though, I do not know the pass code to activate it now. Triv did.” Raito explained.

“Do you know at least where the pass code was entered?” Ruin inquired.

“Yes. Except, it was not a pass code, per say. The Nonziahner activated it. Triv told me that the pass code was the passage from the sermon. After he told me that, I paid attention to the priest. He never looked that passage up during the sermon. My guess was because it would reveal what was going on below. Triv and I went down, but we never found out what they did down there. Just that it existed.” Raito explained.

“Raito, you have been more than helpful to me. And I do not wish to keep you from your sister. Go. Be with her. Be at peace.” Ruin proposed.

In a flash, Raito leaned back and disappeared. Ruin felt accomplished. Not only had he helped a soul reach peace, but also he gained the information needed to put an end to this wild goose chase so they could finally leave. Ruin looked down at Raito’s decomposing body and decided to carry it out to the ship graveyard and “burry” him properly. It was the least he could do to a being who had helped him so much.

When he was done, he raced back down to meet up with the others at the prison cells. They had accomplished much that and the day had just begun. Riina overcame her fear. Ruin learned the value of care. Carpo was slowly making a recovery. For what happened next, though, none of them were prepared. They soon learned that this convent was a give and take. When it gave from itself, it took something from among the group. Lymn was the unfortunate soul caught in the middle.

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