Fallout: The Vulture's Nest

[Dr. Giger]

The small monitor mounted within the operations console of the ships bridge showed the dreary, dirty watercolour disc of Honoghr. It looked like a still image of a cistern or mud puddle - swabs of browns and greys and pallid yellows and dark, sick greens stretching for miles across the planets surface. The restoration effort of the Empire had long since turned into a civilian-run voluntary endeavor - such was the popular support for the ongoing work to pull the Noghri homeworld out of it's polluted grave. Where the murky haze was not so thick, the lightly-dispersed faint glow from settlements on the surface could be seen - the hubs of activity for those who had journeyed there in an effort to lend a hand. Aside from the scientists who managed and directed the restoration by developing new and improved ways of cleaning up the planet, there were explorers who charted ways through the radiated zones, landlords and barkeeps who provided shelter and areas to rest and relax once the days work was over, gardeners and farmers who were studying the ground and soil while working with the scientists to prepare the planet for agriculture once again, as well as various other services such as small power generators and self-contained clean water baths, showers and drinkiing sources. It was an oddly independent frontier society dotted across the expanses of the planet where radiation levels were not lethal, or the mutated wildlife so widespread.

The image flicked to the face of a pale, yet gentlemanly bespectacled man with a grey moustache.

"Ah, Master Jedi. I'm very glad to see you!"

He coughed, followed by a frustrated clearing of his throat.

"Don't mind me. The anti-radiation medicine I've been taking is the wrong dosage for my sector. Apparently they're a hundred and fifty milligrams but given my condition and the levels in this area, they can't be more than seventy-five. The package you picked up on your way contains my own specially prepared pills that contain an inhibitor that will - to a moderate extent - immunise me against the levels I'm dealing with. The others I'm here working with have been taking the local brand but unfortunately I'm allergic to crendacillin so I've had to suffer a bit. I'll be right as rain in a few days..."

"Apologies! Scattered wits - mine, not yours. Where was I. Oh, yes - now you'll be landing at the Hedge Germination centre just outside the habitation district - that's where we develop the fast-growing bracken you'll see all over the place. It's preparing the ground for when the radiation levels drop to a safe enough background level for crops to grow again. It's resistant to the radiation but doesn't let anything else flourish - not that anythying else could. But we've encoded a dynamic protein into it's genetic make-up so that when we're ready we can re-program it to allow for the crops. But that's a long way off from where we are..."

"Sorry. You'll have to get used to that I'm afraid. I'll meet you at the germination centre. Our pre-fab shelter isn't far from there, where I can give you a full run-dow - er, briefing, on what we know of the Doctors last known whereabouts and his schedule for the next few days. Thank you again for coming, have a safe landing, bye for now. I'll have the kettle on for when you arrive!"

The image and audio cut off.

[Abarai Loki]

"How verbose of him," Loki said, taking note of the time stamp in the corner of the screen; it took the doctor an entire two minutes just to confirm the rendezvous point. Something told him the impending meeting with Dr. Giger was going to test his patience and while dubious as he was, Loki welcomed the chance to escape the confines of a starship for the first time in a month. He glanced up at his silver-haired companion, whose exagerrated features betrayed his enthusiasm like a character from a children's Holonet show. The boy folded his arms.

"And don't you encourage him," he warned, his steely gaze lingered and then he swiftly departed, expecting the towering Jedi to follow.

For the last two days, their home had been a modest starfreighter run in secret by the Rebel Alliance. They called it The Whistler's Ferry. The Jedi were assured, repeatedly, by Captain Malawi Hibbet that the vessel was indeed civillian-registered and made a point of avoiding conspicuous space lanes and trade routes. Their journey took them from the treacherous pirate system of Lok to Bothawui and, by way of flirting dangerously with the fringes of Hutt Space, at last to Honoghr. It was ironic, Loki thought, that their first taste of fresh air in weeks was going to be at the site of one of the largest ecological disasters in the galaxy. He glanced at his companion.

"A missing scientist. Acacius Blade, does our part in this not seem a little excessive?"

[Acacius Blade]

"Perhaps the good doctor suspects foul play. In any event, one of the Alliances foremost scientific minds has disappeared, we've been sent to investigate. If he's just fell asleep somewhere then there's no need to report in right away - we can just take it easy for a few days. I for one am glad to be away from the fleet for the time being. Being stuck in deep-space for long periods of time can crack people up. Imagine what it'd do to me!"

The ship had already begun it's descent. A half dozen rebel operatives would be joining them on the surface, disguised as volunteers for the restoration project to secure an extraction should one be needed. The ship itself would not be staying - a ship masquerading as a run-down passenger ferry which was actually a heavily-modified rebel assault cruiser under the hood could still suffer a random inspection should any patrols turn up, and they wanted to avoid such an outcome at all cost - which meant no lifeboat. At least not unless things took a turn for the worst.

"Fancy taking in the sights? I hear there's this wonderful, quaint little bar in the ninth sector with splendid views. As awful as the pollution is, the way the moonlight hits the irradiated fog down in the valley can be quite a sight..."

His eyes were distant as he gazed romantically out of the small starboard viewport. He noticed Loki was staring and snapped up.

"..If, er - if you're into that sort of thing!" he quickly added. Loki gave a quizzical look before disappearing into the corridor. Acacius snook another dreamy glance through the window before joining him. "...I know I am..."

In the corridor a moment later, Loki was already at the junction to their quarters. Acacus's eyes flickered intensely, wide and alert, and in need of answers. He shot down the corridor at maximum velocity, shouting to Loki as he jaunted past a crewman.

"Loki! You did remember to pack the hot chocolate didn't you?!"

[Abarai Loki]

"Acacius Blade," Loki began, staring at a spot on the ceiling, "Need I remind you that this is not a pleasure cruise? Nor will our excursion to Honoghr be any kind of vacation. So please abandon any thoughts of idle recreation, sight-seeing, or hot chocolate. We have been dispatched on a mission, once that mission is complete we shall return to our regular duties."

A low rumble permeated the ship, marking its passage through the planet's murky atmosphere, and Loki resumed a course for his quarters with Acacius in tow. While they were afforded separate rooms, they were nonetheless neighbours, and consequently the youngster had hardly ever found himself alone. Travelling with Acacius was a taxing experience but somehow, impossibly, Loki was finding the oddball master somewhat less... infuriating. Despite the lunacy of his behaviour, there was intelligence and indeed there were also nuggets of wisdom to be found deep within that chasm of madness. If anything, in this case at least, his companion would perhaps take an edge of the monotony of this mission. The thought left the boy deflated. A step inside his room, he turned, and regarded the robed old man.

"Remember, we're supposed to be humble volunteers. I trust you are capable of being humble so please, nothing extravagant. And absolutely no plumage!"

The door closed with a whisper of air and when it reopened, some five minutes later, Loki had changed. Gone were his pristine black and white Jedi robes, in their place he wore olive cargo pants, a pair of heavy hiking boots, and a brown poncho to conform with typical noghri fashion. On his shoulder, he hauled a large rucksack, which clanked softly with his footsteps. Through a nearby viewport he saw the crest of distant mountain range and promptly knocked on the neighbouring door.

[Acacius Blade]

The door opened and Acacius stepped into the corridor. A high-crowned, wide-brimmed brown leather hat sat atop his magnificent head. A large red neckerchief sat beneath his chin, tied at the back. He wore a simple, comfortable-looking t-shirt and pullover, navy-blue cargo pants and similar, albeit larger, hiking boots to Loki. Over the top he wore a long waterproof overcoat with a large hood at the back. A large rucksack and satchel sat at his feet just inside the doorway. He turned side-on to Loki, displaying the hood.

"It's so big - I can wear it without taking off the hat!"

He placed the satchel shoulder strap over his head. It came diagonally across his body, resting at his side. Then he hoisted the rucksack onto his back.

"All set!

A large rumbling permeated throughout the ship. A mechanical screetch signified the landing struts opening before they touched down and the engines lowered to a dull whine.

The cargo doors opened onto a predominantly grey scene - brown-grey mud all over the ground, an overcast sky, dirty durasteel structures and tarpaulin-covered scaffolding. The largest of the structures sat 50 metres in front of them. At the bottom of the ramp stood an aged yet disti guished gentleman who was waving at them.

"That must be the good Dr. Giger."

As they approached the ramp, the cargo doors started to close as the ship took off from the landing pad. Several similarly-garbed men accomanied them but didn't interact. They were in fact rebel agents - the Jedi's back-up should the need arise. They headed off in different directions throughout the settlement quickly, not speaking to either the Jedi or Dr. Giger.

Acacius and Loki descended the ramp to greet the Doctor.

[Abarai Loki]

The Hedge Germination Centre reminded Loki of a lone starport he'd once visited on Dantooine; a dreary juxtaposition of rickety buildings congregated loosely around one solid structure, in this case it was the science facility and even that looked like it had seen better days. Its duracrete walls were stained yellow and flaked from years of weathering, tufts of moss grew on its corrugated roof like crop rows, and the tall mast standing next to it which housed numerous weather instruments was knocked askew. Dr. Giger, on the other hand, was presentable if a bit bedraggled from the force of the freighter's landing jets, and he extended them a hand in greeting. His grip was firm.

"Greetings, doctor. My name is Abarai Loki," he said, quickly adding, "And this is my companion, Acacius Blade."

[Acacius Blade]

"How do you do, Doctor. A pleasure to meet you. Can I just say - I've heard all about your efforts regarding your son and my heart goes out to you. I wish you the best of luck in helping him."

Acacius shook his hand, smiling.

[Dr. Giger]

"That's very kind of you, Acacius. If you two want to head inside the main facility and head up to the first floor - we've prepared a modest room with two beds and your own rest room - call it an en suite if you like!" he chuckled.

"Get yourselves settled. I have just a quick errand to run in the warehouse just across from us..." He pointed to the large building nearby. "...and then I'll give you all the information we have and answer any questions you might have over that hot drink I promised. If you'll excuse me."

The Jedi nodded. Dr. Giger gave a grateful smile before departing and heading into the warehouse. The Jedi made their way to the science facility, occasionally leaning into the wind and torrent of rain that accompanied it.

[Abarai Loki]

The sudden storm came thick and fast; the barrage of rain drummed the roofs of nearby tin shacks and turned the balding earth into a thick glistening sludge, and with the rushing wind came an unusual saccarine stench akin to hot molasses. The environment was immediately suffocating and Loki was happy to be clear of the guarded fence and inside the facility at last. The durasteel door slid shut behind them and in the oppressive silence that greeted them, all that could be heard was the soft drip of water on the floor.

"No leaks," Loki said, glancing up, "I'm impressed. I believe our shared quarters are on the first floor."

He gestured to the staircase before them and followed Acacius onto the next level. They found themselves on a metal gangway which hugged the walls of a small control room below, full of glowing screens and beeping consoles. It was unoccupied save for a single power droid which lumbered from one terminal to the next, mumbling to itself. A light ahead and they passed into a narrow corridor flanked by a series of doors to the right. Only one door was open and inside there were two freshly made beds. The boy gave his companion a sideways glance, an eyebrow arched.

"The life of a Jedi is frugal and humble."

[Acacius Blade]

"It doesn't always have to be" came the reply.

Acacius surveyed the small room. It was modest and uninviting, albeit clean and neat. Given the conditions outside, it was almost expected - drab, gloomy and depressing. Acacius sighed. The pelting of raindrops grew faster and heavier on the corrugated metal roofing above them. The room was not on one of the exterior walls, hence the lack of a window. A small ventilation shaft above the centre of the room was the only opening other than the doorway. The beige walls appeared discoloured in the poor lighting.

He placed the rucksack at the foot of the bed on the right-hand side of the room and opened it. He revealed a small lamp and placed it on the side table between the two beds. A light tap brought it to life, casting a calm, warm amber glow upwards, bathing the walls in a lazy orange hue. Acacius smiled and removed his wet overcoat. There was a doorless cabinet at the foot of the other bed, next to the door. He hung it inside. A small pool had gathered where he'd been standing. Acacius rolled his eyes.

"At least it looks a little cozier now" he remarked as he reached for the rucksack. He retrieved a towel and quickly dried the floor. "Just looking at that lamp makes me forget how cold it is outside. Wouldn't you say so, partner?"

[Abarai Loki]

"No," Loki answered, paying absolutely no attention to the lamp.

After beating the water from his poncho, he folded it away in the bottom of the closet, all the while shutting out the sound of the old man's voice as he rambled on about the numerous ways they could make their quarters more homely. Then he turned and interrupted him.

"You mentioned Giger's son."

[Acacius Blade]

Acacius sat down on the bed as he unpacked some of the items he'd brought with him; a datapad and recording device, a small pocket lamp, a glow stick, portable scanner, as well as a strangely carves bas relief made of a peculiar green substance not quite like stone. He spoke as he retrieved and placed them on the small cabinet.

"Yes indeed. A tragedy in the truest sense. Young Master Giger was a shining star - a Jedi Knight of incredible potential. I'd had the fortune of working with the lad on several missions, but as was the case before the Great Purge, missions popped up so fast and frequently you hardly had time to become acquainted with your comrades - well, the one's you weren't already acquainted with. I believe the last time I saw him was on Kamino. We were sent as back-up for the troops already stationed there. Around the mid-point of the war, Kamino was perhaps the fifth largest production centre of Republic ground assault vehicles and after the Separatist attack on Ceti Prime, we weren't taking any chances. Many Jedi were called from several fronts to help defend the factory worlds. The good Doctors son and I had been on Kamino for almost two weeks with absolutely no sign of trouble. Of course, we never let our guard down, but you could almost forget why you were there. The summer really was quite beautiful - the last place you'd expect to be caught in a fire fight. But we were..."

Acacius sighed deeply, his eyes gazing at a point not on the wall, but just beyond it, somewhere in the past, out of sight but not memory.

"It was very quick. The battalion of droids sent only managed to take down a single warehouse that wasn't even half-full with artillery platforms. Less than a half a percent of the total production for that month. They were expecting to cripple the entire planets production capabilities. I think we did rather well. Not a single soldier died under my command that day. We were vastly outnumbered and they were using stealth droids. That boy's pre-cognition was like nothing I'd ever witnessed before. All Jedi are taught to be mindful of the future but the way Giger's son rolled with it. I ket calling him a cheater. He knew exactly where they were going to attack from and how many there'd be. Incredible. Not a single blaster bolt from the other side met its target thanks to his second-by-second telepathic intel - and we never had any shields either. I even managed to recover our astromech droids memory chip and restore him to full working order after he was caught in an explosion while trying to raise one of the bridges..."

He blinked and looked at Loki, surprised.

"Sorry, I was...never mind. I never saw Giger's son again after that. At least not the way I remember him. I remember when I first heard what had happened. Just a week after Order 66 was put into effect, there was an attack on a monastery where a group of monks were allegedly hiding younglings and padawans. The self-proclaimed Emperor felt there was a large gathering of Jedi there, and so sent in his...ha! His finest troops. The monks tried to convince them it was untrue, but they disregarded there pleas to respect the sanctity of hallowed ground and barged right on in. They placed what was believed to be a straight-forward thermal bomb right in the central courtyard - it was dropped in by shuttle - too heavy to move by even thirty troops on foot. The monks tried but it didn't budge. I heard about the explosion - a small portion of the monastery was destroyed and the one monk who fled lived for just three days with his injuries. When we spoke to him, we asked him about the Jedi in hiding there. He told us there was just one, projecting an aura so powerful that it fooled even the Emperor into thinking there were hundreds of us hiding in the dark tunnels below the surface. So he delivered a bomb to get rid of us. Giger's son tried to levitate it out of harms way. He was standing right in front of it when it exploded. The blast vaporised his skin. He didn't look human when he was found. He couldn't speak as his vocal chords had been incinerated when the flames entered his lungs. He was blind and his body was broken from the impact of hitting the courtyard wall a nano-second before it shattered. This was all deduced by the limited investigation carried out by a trio of Jedi Masters before the Imperials returned to sweep the area a few days later. The most extraodinary discovery was the blast marks. It wasn't a blast radius emanating out from the center of the explosion. It was in a cone from the point were the bomb sat out towards the boy's body. An image I saw reminded me of those shockwave cannons that directed a blast wave in a narrow path in one direction."

He took a sip of water from the canteen in his rucksack.

"It was only after they'd gotten his crippled body to his father that they understood why the Imperials had waited so long after the explosion. It was a fusion bomb. Can you believe it? A fusion bomb. Not used since before the founding of the Republic because of the horrific effects on both living tissue and the environment. They were waiting until the level had dropped enough for them to approach the site safely - and these troops had SEVA armor designed to protect against the worst kind of industrial radiation. They had to hang back for three days before they could return and confirm it had worked without succumbing to lethal doses themselves. And when they compared the unfathomably high levels of radiation exposure throughout his body to the measurably lower radiation levels in the bodies of the monks and the surrounding area, it was clear what had caused such a peculiar blastwave. He'd somehow pre-empted the explosion and what it's effects would have been, and channelled the blast into himself, in an attempt to protect the monks. I heard that Dr. Giger's team had confirmed that just over two-hundred hours after the explosion, they could not detect a single live midichlorian in his sons’ body. He was no longer a Jedi. He was just a motionless mass of organs and tissue requiring sustenance, 24-hour care and daily radiation therapy sessions to counter the multitude of cancerous growths as a result of his exposure to the bomb. I last enquired about him three years ago. I learned that Dr. Giger had placed his son in a class nine bacta-vault indefinitely. His condition is now so serious that they modified the tank to have two chambers with a membrane separating the two so that they could transfer the body from one to the other for the purposes of cleaning the vault. His son's body hasn't met fresh air in three years. It sounds like something out of a science fiction/horror holonovel. It's just awful. But what's worse - the Emperor intended to use that device on hundreds of younglings and padawans..."

Acacius wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye. He cleared his throat as his voice had grown faint as he spoke. He stood up and livened himself up.

[Dr. Giger]

Dr Giger arrived at the door way a few seconds later, smiling and carrying a tray with four steaming mugs resting on it, and a tube of biscuits.

"Here you are, gentlemen! There's two coffee's and two tea's. I wasn't sure what you'd prefer. I'll have whatever. And help yourselves to the biscuits - that was the errand I made..."

There was a high-pitched yelp from down the corridor.

"Oh, confound it all - I'd forgotten about that. If it's not too much trouble, could one of you lend me your assistance in the workshop just down the way? My dog's managed to get himself trapped on top of the generator cage again. He can get up there but he can't get down again, he won't jump. I think he's scared of heights. He's only small and he doesn't bite. I wouldn't ask but I'm just not nimble enough to clamber up after him. I usually get one of the technicians but they're on a survey run. I'd be ever so grateful."

[Abarai Loki]

If a missing doctor was a dubious reason for dispatching a pair of Jedi across the galaxy then being assigned to the Intergalactic Pet Rescue Squad was simply offensive and Loki conveyed his feelings to Acacius with a hidden scowl. Their eyes met and a long pause followed as the pair silently battled over who was to be appointed Dr. Giger's private dog-catcher. Acacius clearly had the height for it and Loki knew he'd have no objection to helping the doctor in his time of need, and yet, he didn't budge. Instead, he sipped his tea and offered the boy a long tight-lipped smile.

"Excuse me," Loki said at last, rising, "I shall retrieve your-"

"Clarence," the doctor offered and settled into Loki's seat, "Thank you kindly, my boy."

"Clarence..." he repeated through clenched teeth, disappearing into the hallway.

The distressed yipping continued for about a minute after his departure until suddenly a long frightened yelp rang out and silence fell at last. Moments later, Loki returned with a small brown terrier clamped in his hands. He stooped and lowered the dog, its little paws scratched desperately at the floor until at last it was released and ran whimpering to its master.

"Your... Clarence, Doctor Giger," he said, dispassionately, and folded his arms, "Now, if we can get to the matter at hand."

[Dr. Giger]

"Much appreciated young man - oh, please forgive me. An old habit from when I was a teacher. I meant no offence, I assure you. But you're quite right..."

Dr. Giger sat down in the chair near the door - it was very comfy but drab. He set Clarence down on his lap and held a biscuit in his hand while the dog nipped at it silently. The good doctor took a mug of tea just as Acacius claimed one of the coffee's. His eye's met Loki's and he gestured to the tray resting at the end of Acacius's bed.

"...we do indeed need to have a little chat of a more serious nature."

He sipped his tea before beginning. Just as he breathed in to start speaking, Clarence yelped. It wasn't a threatening sound, but Loki didn't make a very good job of hiding the irritation in his face. The dog was staring at the cup with his tuft of a tail wiggling furiously. Dr. Giger rolled his eyes with a slight chuckle. "I'm sorry Old Boy! Here you are..." he said, dipping the biscuit into the hot drink briefly. The dog resumed munching on the now-soggy treat.

"Your presence has been requested by the Alliance on this matter. Now, while the work here is of a high priority, it's low-profile does not call for very elaborate security measures. The local wildlife is relatively scare and timid, while the Noghri welcome our presence in the aftermath of the Empire and it's affect on their homeworld. However, just over a week ago our lead scientist and my superior in the Alliances scientific research division, Professor Allmach, disappeared. Now some parts of the swamps are dangerous - if you lose your footing you could end up drowning in the bog with little chance of anybody ever finding a body. That's if it wasn't for the PDT's everybody has been implanted with for the duration of the project. They're a personal locator just underneath our skin between the palm of the hand and the medial epicondyle, or elbow pit as some call it..."

He brushed his arm lightly with one finger, where a very faint 2-inch rectangular impression resided underneath the skin.

"Now not only was the Professor an avid outdoors-man but he was also implanted with one of the PDT's - something we are unable to locate on the sensors. Its highly unlikely that he not only fell into the bog but that the PDT has also stopped transmitting by accident. Both myself and Alliance High Command suspect foul play. That's where you come in."

Licking his lips, Dr. Giger went to draw the cup to his lips but the lapping sound stopped him. Clarence's head was stooped low over the cup as he drank the tea. With a sigh, he placed his companion on the floor at his feet, placed a few biscuits on a saucer and left the cup beside it. He looked over to the tray - Loki had not touched either drink and they were still hot.

"Take your pick my friend, I'll have the other one..." he said with a smile.

[Abarai Loki]

"If you suspect foul play, doctor," Loki began, helping himself to the cup of coffee, "That implies you have enemies here."

[Dr. Giger]

"Well you see, my friend - this is for all intents and purposes a frontier world. There's no real law to speak of, save what security measures we implement where we can. And as such, although there's a goodwill campaign funded by the Rebellion, there's nothing stopping anyone else setting up shop and doing what they damn well please."

The ageing scientist sipped at the hot cup of tea, licking his lips before and after.

"It's possible that somebody from the criminal underworld has gotten wind of what we're doing here and wishes to take advantage of the situation. At the same time the native Noghri are renowned for the stealth and deadly efficiency - it's not unheard of for one to be brainwashed and used for dishonourable purposes. And my colleague was carrying expensive equipment as well as some valuable research data. While I can't think of who might want it, I surmise that our powers-that-be consider it valuable of your attention. I wish I could tell you more, gentlemen. The only other information I can give you is that before he ventured out into the marshes, my colleague met with a man named Stetman - he can usually be found in the bar across the street. He sells various items to supplement our regular deliveries from the Rebel outpost in the sector, and it's rumoured he has contacts with a shadowy group of mercenaries who are interested in the strange anomalies dotted across the surrounding area. I've never dealt with them myself and I have no reason to believe Professor Allmach has either. But still - Stetman's your best starting point."