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suitably_heroicThey followed the metal in the walls for a few hours. Atton was beginning to get a feel for the place - it wasn't so much that these tunnels ran forever as that they sloped, ever so gently. Not enough to be immediately noticable, but after conferring with Mira, he came to the conclusion that it had to be.
This thing was a giant circle.
But just as abruptly as he'd found the metal, it suddenly stopped. It traced back upwards, towards the ceiling. Near the bend was a small divot.
"Dead end?" Mira asked, retreating from the wall.
"I don't think so," Atton said, frowning. "Okay, Mira? I'm gonna touch this thing again. Better keep your blaster ready."
He braced himself as he stepped forward, his fingers seeking out the divot. Cold sparked around his fingers anew: different than last time. It wasn't trying to overwhelm him. It was just trying to claw at his fingertips, like... a question?
He winced. "Right," he muttered. What next?
He sent a small burst of Force lightning into the wall. A spark for a spark.
The circuit went dead.
The wall slid away, vanishing up into the ceiling as if it had never been there. The smell of blood burst into the hallway, and Atton coughed, dizzy with it for a moment.
He felt Mira pushing past him, but he didn't fully realize she'd entered the room until he heard her cry out.
"Space!"
He darted in after her. "Mira!"
The reply came muffled. "I'm okay," she said. "I'm okay. Just--"
On the ceiling of the room laid a long, ornate metal circle. It pulsed with some dark, blue inner energy that gathered in the center, lighting up the room. And... space, Atton wished it hadn't lit up the room.
There were bodies everywhere. Hundreds of bloody, torn-up beings of various species - most of them they recognized, hailing from the same Mid-Rim area where he'd found the smugglers in the first place. A few living beings still wandered around, glassy-eyed, hands and claws and other appendages streaked with blood.
Not all of them were fully intact, either.
"Well," Atton said weakly. "Figures we'd find the one place that looks the same way Malachor feels."
[[ establishy. gore under the cut. ]]
This thing was a giant circle.
But just as abruptly as he'd found the metal, it suddenly stopped. It traced back upwards, towards the ceiling. Near the bend was a small divot.
"Dead end?" Mira asked, retreating from the wall.
"I don't think so," Atton said, frowning. "Okay, Mira? I'm gonna touch this thing again. Better keep your blaster ready."
He braced himself as he stepped forward, his fingers seeking out the divot. Cold sparked around his fingers anew: different than last time. It wasn't trying to overwhelm him. It was just trying to claw at his fingertips, like... a question?
He winced. "Right," he muttered. What next?
He sent a small burst of Force lightning into the wall. A spark for a spark.
The circuit went dead.
The wall slid away, vanishing up into the ceiling as if it had never been there. The smell of blood burst into the hallway, and Atton coughed, dizzy with it for a moment.
He felt Mira pushing past him, but he didn't fully realize she'd entered the room until he heard her cry out.
"Space!"
He darted in after her. "Mira!"
The reply came muffled. "I'm okay," she said. "I'm okay. Just--"
On the ceiling of the room laid a long, ornate metal circle. It pulsed with some dark, blue inner energy that gathered in the center, lighting up the room. And... space, Atton wished it hadn't lit up the room.
There were bodies everywhere. Hundreds of bloody, torn-up beings of various species - most of them they recognized, hailing from the same Mid-Rim area where he'd found the smugglers in the first place. A few living beings still wandered around, glassy-eyed, hands and claws and other appendages streaked with blood.
Not all of them were fully intact, either.
"Well," Atton said weakly. "Figures we'd find the one place that looks the same way Malachor feels."
[[ establishy. gore under the cut. ]]
