The air that billowed out from the opened hatch of Relay Station Aurelia was cold, stale, and carried the faint, unsettling scent of ozone and something else Kai couldn't quite identify – a dry, dusty odor like ancient parchment and long-dead machinery. It was a breath from a forgotten age. Breaker, still perched precariously on the narrow ledge, held the heavy plasteel hatch open, peering into the oppressive darkness within.
"Well, it ain't exactly welcoming," Breaker rumbled into his comm, his voice echoing slightly from the passage beyond. "Pitch black. Can't see more than a few feet in. Smells like a tomb."
"Shift, what are your readings on internal atmosphere now that the hatch is open?" Kai asked, his own Draconic Senses, particularly his developing low-light vision, trying to pierce the gloom. He could make out the faint outline of a narrow, metallic corridor descending into the station's superstructure. His Draconic Energy Reserves were at 87%.
"Atmospheric pressure is surprisingly stable, Leader Kai," Shift reported from their position at the base of the spire, her sensor array pointed upwards. "Minimal particulate matter beyond standard decay. Oxygen levels are low but breathable with the rebreathers. No immediate airborne toxins detected, but the background radiation is slightly elevated – nothing critical for short-term exposure with our suits, but I wouldn't want to set up permanent residence." She paused. "The energy signature I detected earlier, the erratic one, is stronger now, emanating from deeper within. And those low-frequency vibrations Kai mentioned… they're more pronounced from this proximity. Still rhythmic, still unidentified."
Roric's voice cut in, calm and decisive. "Kai, your team is to proceed with extreme caution. Breaker, secure a line and descend first. Test the structural integrity of the immediate passage. Kai, you follow. Shift, you will be last, deploying a series of micro-sensors at the entry point to monitor for any external approach or environmental shifts once you are inside. Elara is attempting to interface with any residual external station telemetry the Old Republic map hinted at, but don't count on any internal schematics being active yet."
Breaker, with surprising agility for his bulk, uncoiled a high-tensile synth-rope from his utility belt, anchoring it securely to a reinforced stanchion near the hatch. He then disappeared into the darkness, his heavy boots clanging softly on metallic rungs Kai couldn't yet see. A few moments later, his voice came back, "Passage seems to be a vertical maintenance shaft. Old ladder rungs, mostly intact. First landing about fifteen meters down. Looks stable enough for now."
Kai took a deep breath, the rebreather hissing. "Alright, I'm next." He secured himself to the rope as a backup and began his descent, his Draconic Senses on high alert. The shaft was narrow, cylindrical, and lined with bundles of ancient, corroded conduits. The air grew colder, the metallic tang stronger. The rhythmic thrumming vibration he'd sensed earlier was more distinct here, a deep, almost subliminal pulse that seemed to resonate in his bones. It was unsettling, like the breathing of some colossal, sleeping beast.
He reached the first landing, a small, circular platform of grated metal. Breaker was there, his own rebreather mask making his breathing sound harsh in the confined space. A single, ancient emergency light flickered erratically nearby, casting long, dancing shadows. The landing opened into a horizontal corridor, equally dark and narrow. Shift descended next, her movements quick and efficient. As soon as she landed, she began deploying her micro-sensors around the shaft entrance, tiny, almost invisible devices that adhered to the metallic walls. "Perimeter sensors active," she confirmed. "They'll give us an early warning if anything tries to follow us in, or if the external environment changes drastically."
The System pinged Kai: [ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN (INTERNAL – AURELIA STATION LEVEL 1): Atmosphere: Low Oxygen, Elevated Background Radiation (Minor), Trace Metallic Particulates. Structural Integrity: Degraded but currently stable in immediate vicinity. Energy Signatures: Dormant Old Republic systems (High), Unidentified Rhythmic Vibration (Deep Structure – Source Unknown), Erratic Energy Pulses (Core Structure – Source Unknown).] [Draconic Senses Update: Olfactory senses detecting complex metallic compounds, desiccated organic matter (ancient, non-humanoid), and trace ozone. Auditory senses picking up ultra-low frequency resonance (ULFR) consistent with massive, dormant machinery or large-scale geological activity. No immediate biological threats detected within 50-meter radius.]
"Alright, team," Kai said, his voice a low murmur in their comms. "We stick to the primary objective: reach the control hub. Shift, your initial assessment of this corridor?" Shift ran a handheld scanner along the walls. "This appears to be a primary service conduit, likely leading towards the station's core. The schematics Roric has are… vague for these deeper service levels. They were often modified or undocumented. We're essentially moving blind beyond the main structural outlines."
"Then we move carefully," Kai decided. "Breaker, you take point again. I'm on your six. Shift, watch our rear and keep those sensors active. Report any anomalies immediately." They proceeded down the corridor, their boots echoing unnervingly on the grated metal floor. The only light came from their suit-mounted lamps, cutting narrow cones through the oppressive darkness. The silence was broken only by their breathing and the constant, faint, rhythmic thrum from deep within the station. It felt like they were descending into the gullet of some ancient, metallic beast.
After about fifty meters, the corridor opened into a slightly larger junction, several other dark passages branching off. In the center of the junction, a section of the floor had collapsed, revealing a dizzying drop into a lower, unlit chasm. A narrow, precarious-looking maintenance catwalk, its railings long since rusted away, was the only way across. "Problem," Breaker rumbled, his lamp beam playing over the chasm. "That catwalk doesn't look like it'll hold my weight, let alone with gear."
Shift scanned it. "Structural integrity is minimal. It might hold one person at a time, if they're light and careful. Definitely not Breaker." Roric's voice came through. "Elara confirms this chasm isn't on the primary schematics. It's likely a result of internal structural failure or a localized explosion decades, or centuries, ago. There should be an alternative route, a parallel service corridor, about thirty meters back, according to the main trunk layout. But it will add significant time to your journey to the control hub."
Kai looked at the chasm, then at the flimsy catwalk. Time was a luxury they might not have. "Shift, can you make it across that catwalk? You're the lightest." Shift eyed it critically. "Possibly. If it holds, I could secure a line for you to follow, Kai. Breaker would still have to find the alternate route."
It was a risk. If the catwalk gave way, Shift would be lost. But splitting the team to find an alternate route for Breaker would also be dangerous and time-consuming. The threshold of decay had been crossed. Now, they had to navigate its treacherous heart.