The Quick and the Dead (Open)
Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2023 9:08 pm
The thickness of the phosphorescent clouds hanging limp above the planet's surface had delayed the Neti's arrival by the span of an hour. If he were traveling through official channels, it would have been simple enough to charter a shuttle from the orbital station– but his task was not one that would benefit from the prying eyes of the Alliance. So it was that the academic leapt down from the ramp of a still-hovering Mudhorn, his boots sinking quickly into the swampy grime below. Though Sa'ato could purify the atmosphere around him given the will of the Force and sufficient time, he had elected to rely on an environmental suit in the interest of brevity.
Now, squinting through a visor to get an accurate read on his wrist module, the Neti set out due east in search of his query. Once a strategically useful world to the Empire of old, the Noghri homeworld had seen several years under the predictably lighter rule of the Alliance. That did not mean those that had been loyal before looked on the new regime with affection, or had disclosed all of their former overlord's secrets: and it was one of said secrets the professor sought. An abandoned military bunker, allegedly used only by the highest echelons of the Imperial military during inspection. If Sith intelligence was to be believed, it was still intact– and undisturbed.
The retired teacher had hedged his bet that certain, uncommon artifacts from the Palpatine era were stored within. And, while it was theoretically possible to claim such items from an active Imperial facility, the aged lecturer was far happier to take a quieter, less blood-stained approach to his objective. So it was that Sa'ato forged ahead through a humid, slightly-acidic breeze, unsure as to who or what he might encounter along the way…