Kiani looked at Kar'Avan " I'm going to assume then there are going to be several teams to canvas the ruins quickly? " She asked. To her it made sense to break up into smaller teams to effectively cover a lot of ground in as little time as possible. She also knew she was the most uninformed of the three sitting at the table. " How am I going to help out? I'm not sure what exactly how I am to function on this mission," she added.

    "We will have multiple groups, yes, though will be dispatched from the main expedition on an as-needed basis, foreseeably to investigate branching paths or remain behind to conduct more thorough investigations of points of interest, whatever they may happen to be. The only defined group is a contingent of engineers tasked with restoring power to the facility if we determine the location of the generators. However, their overseer will not be accompanying them. Specialist First-Class Van Sivent will remain with the primary expedition group as a technical consultant. He has been conducting studies of the Titan technology and possesses general technical skills besides." Karin laid out the details of the mission.

    Karin took a breath to redouble her composure. That smuggler was little more than a liability. He was reckless, insubordinate, uncouth, lecherous, and thoroughly disrespectful to Karin and her staff. He had already proven himself willing and able to destroy dig sites without warning on a whim, capable of maneuvering around Kar'Avan's authority to inflict untold devastation on any locale he saw fit. However, adding "Unfortunately, he has not deigned to share the results of his studies with anyone outside his department, so the necessity of his presence is bureaucratic rather than constructive," was not in good taste, so she simply continued without it.

   The Archivist continued, "Beyond the unquestionable value of your healing skills, sister, your role is largely undefined aside from command. You may take detachments to explore as it pleases you, though I would ask that you consult myself prior to embarking. The Force gives us a unique and expanded perspective on the world around us, something that is, to understate, indispensable in an unknown ruin where untold dangers may lurk beyond the capacity of our eyes. Make no mistake, this facility is perilous beyond compare. Darth Mekhis designed her automated security to last, even if the same care was not given to the architecture. We are just as likely to be met by sentries still carrying out their mission even after these four millennia as we are to encounter structural collapses. The presence of another Jedi may be the difference between survival and death."

    Karin let the words hang in the air for a moment so Kiani could fully grasp their gravity. While Karin did not doubt Kiani's capabilities, she still expected obedience to her command and Kiani both needed and deserved to understand why.

   "Well, I'm no stranger to danger," Kiani answered with a faint smile, "But if this is all as dangerous as you say, I think I want it out of everyone's hands as much as you do. The galaxy is already burning. We don't need anyone to find more fuel."

    As if on cue, Meredith pushed aside the tent flap. "Milady, the drone operators have given the all-clear. We're ready for you."

    The report was delivered with an executive officer's brusqueness, which was typical of Meredith. She was Karin's second-in-command for very good reason: she had been in the archaeology field for over a decade before Karin joined and few people knew more about micro-managing an expedition into efficiency. Meredith was the extension of Karin's word and will in the field, and lacking the same regal bearing meant that authority must be channeled through voice and manner alone.

    Karin set her tea aside, stood up, and refit her gauntlets, making ready to depart. Though the expedition into the Dark Heart on Hadzuska was no doubt more harrowing than this facility could ever prove to be, Karin could not help but feel the mere existence of this facility was more heinous. She had seen the blood-drenched history of the Dark Heart almost first-hand, watched as countless thousands died for power and pleasure. But, still, the place had purpose beyond that. It was a place of worship, of reverence of the Force, where individuals could gather in its splendor. This facility, contrarily, was devoted to death and destruction, nothing more. Any subjects or researchers that had died within had died to further a war machine that would not have been content until all life in the galaxy had been snuffed out. And Death needed no advocate.

    Meredith took up her position on Karin's right as they exited the tent. Karin could see the first two-dozen Legionnaires already fitting their rappelling harnesses for the decent down the inclined tunnel bored into the earth and stone by the mining laser at the camp's head. Several of her own staff, more Legionnaires, and the engineering team were moving from their own corners of the camp to converge on their point of ingress. There was resignation in their movement. They had all been to one of the other facilities. Most had been to all of them. They all shared memories of the horrors they had discovered within. Discovering what such atrocities were committed in the name of was not a pleasing prospect for any of them, that much Karin could tell.

    Still, the crowd retained enough presence of mind to part around her as she approached, their conversations quieting to murmurs as she passed, until the only sound that could be heard was the clattering and whirring of the large winches that slowly bore the first team of Legionnaires into the depths. Two Paladin soldiers stood like iron golems on guard on each side of the trapezoidal frame that secured the winches to the ground, ready to assist should the cables fail. The striped lengths of braided steel snaked slowly up to the top of the trapezoidal frame, before angling around pulleys to feed into the four-legged frustum that had been bolted into the stone at the tunnel's mouth to help guide the cables down the incline. The sun was setting on the camp and in the evening half-light Karin could see the glow of the lamps the Legionnaires were bolting into the tunnel walls from outside the safety barrier. It was no indication of how far down they had gone, but it was a comfort, nonetheless.

    It was three minutes before the Legionnaires confirmed they had secured the area at the base of the tunnel and were ready for new arrivals. The Legionnaires had used their descent lines to connect emergency escape sleds to the winches, so a second set of lines was woven into the pulley system for the next group. Karin was joined by Kar'Avan, Kiani, two medics, four Legionnaires, and Specialist First-Class van Sivent as she approached the free ends of the new lines, attaching one to her harness and inspecting the connections for damage.

    Meredith pushed past the safety barrier to approach Karin. She was grimacing more than usual, emphasizing the worry lines on her ageing face. For all her gruffness, Karin could see the strain these digs had put on her aide. The first had almost seen them killed by pirates, and though the subsequent three had proven to be far more secure, the aura of foreboding and dread surrounding them had only increased geometrically. Though Meredith was not one to worry herself sick, Karin could see her struggling with the prospect of the flock being left without their mistress. Karin took two steps forward and embraced her friend tightly, trying to silently assure her she would return to the surface alive and well. Meredith was stronger than she appeared to the eye, and she returned the gesture handily.

    Meredith took a deep breath before breaking her hold and allowing Karin to walk back to the tunnel's mouth. Karin gave the woman a small, compassionate smile. "May the Force be with you, Meredith."

   "You too, dragon girl," Meredith returned, worry replaced with a smile of her own.

   With farewells out of the way, they began their descent.