[20 BBY]

[Executive Security Solutions City-ship/Capital-class Warship Stormcrow {II}, In Orbit Garn, Garn System, Cadma Sector, Outer Rim Territories]

It was the dull part in the eyes of many, though I found it somewhat tense as we went about scouting the now derelict Sunlight Dreaming and the crash site planet-side. No way were we tractoring the modified YT-light freighter into the hold of my ship like one or two had proposed, nor was I sending organic troopers down to the planet off the bat. Not when there was a suspicious things going on, and the place below didn't look overly healthy being a dead world...or nearly dead world as we'd picked up faint 'ghost' signals again, and whatever had happened to my people.

I'd kept our small fleet at combat readiness as we maintained some distance from the drifting Sunlight Dreaming and the planet itself. Two Vulture droid-fighters circled light freighter as three B-1R's were landed on the freighter and began a visual inspection of the outer hull, and in through the windows. Mildly irritating and time-consuming, but there were already indications of biological contamination or violence from blood on said windows so slow and steady; patience was the Jedi way as I said to my old Master.

The droid-fighters could ensure those engines didn't sudden come active as we investigated; while it didn't exist yet Blackwing had crossed my mind at times. We'd done the same with the two LAATs and one gunship deployed down to the planet; neither having hyperdrives and risk something making an easy getaway from the planet. I wasn't sure, but my initial leaning was towards biological agents from the scouts investigating this mystery signal and then getting infected from something on the planet. The two droid squads we'd landed had come across some rather dangerous looking fungus, and the general environment wasn't great in those yellow fogs by all sensor data.

"Unit-422B, Initiate boarding and inspection via airlock, Unit-861P Support Unit-422B..." I ordered as I watched the helmet cam footage from the reworked B-1 units. Not that they looked like the Confederate dregs anymore since we'd upgraded the damned things using the B-1 model as an internal structure to wire and armour over. Now they looked like our troopers, mostly, and were at least competent at shooting and doing what they were told compared to the originals "...Unit-322UY remain on outer hull on overwatch"

"Roger, Roger" though they still had the verbal tick of the originals as I liked to think of it. The ground force was establishing a landing zone with perimeter, two squads of the units along with four of our droidekas along with the gunship monitoring from above the site. One of the squads would investigate our downed long-range star-fighter while the other moved to investigate the Cathedral Ship and ruins nearby; the first squad would join them once they'd inspected their site. It was slow progress, and I was sitting in a conference room along with Stass, Yulen, Dr. Weebako, and number of technicians as the various helmet cams transmitted their images to us along with sensor feed data.

"Recovering the ships logs should provide some information, but what we are seeing so far indicates some sort of biological problem"

I nodded in response to Yulen's observation "Yeah, I'm getting a similar impression, though that's a lot of blood splashes...potential delirium induced violence? Parasites perhaps? We had some reports of that from Geonosis amongst isolated Clone units before we were forced to retreat from the world"

"Too early to say for sure General..." the good twi'lek doctor with the scars murmured back politely her face in the data be transmitted by the ground based sampling "...but this fungus is certainly deadly, though the general environment seems liveable, surprisingly so for a world that was clearly bombarded from orbit at some point in the past. Though that's not what concerns you I believe?"

I nodded, watching as the two droids entered the air-lock, sealing the outer hatch and then entering after re-pressurizing the small room to open the inner hatch "No, it's the mystery signal that we can't really pin down that feels like a lure. That and the fact the Sunlight Dreaming is back in orbit, and was clearly trying to get somewhere. If it is a contagion then we to quarantine this place, or in case it's a Confederate trap like whatever they tried on Naboo"

Yulen frowned "That would cause trouble with our supply lines"

"I know, or it could just be a naturally occurring thing, or something else entirely, but yeah, this is on a useful out of the way route so best avoid problems..." I muttered watching as the droids found the body of one of the crew; clearly infected with something as his face was covered in a yellowish moss or lichen where the body lay face down in the canteen of the ship. Human, face half-eaten by what was apparently fungus I was told by the Doctor as a quick inspection was carried out by the droid with a testing kit. Looked like fully armoured and environmentally sealed armour for our troopers should we have to deploy them to this mess.

"Did they kill each other?" Stass voiced as the second body was discovered, this one with a knife in her back, body splayed out on the corridor towards the bridge "...both seem to have injuries, and there's...a blood splotches in odd spots"

"Hmm, Hmm, yeah. Well, they'll access the logs in a moment..." I sighed glancing at the notification from the bridge "...and there's our mystery signal again"

Stass nodded "You'll note it's a bit different each time"

"Yes, which doesn't make much sense for an automated distress beacon?"

Yulen waved his hand in a 'so-so, maybe' gesture "Hard to say Boss, could be a damaged droid or ancient system flicking through various runtimes with flickers of power"

I stroked my chin with my right hand with a hum of thought "Yeah, maybe, it's just a bit..."

"Unit-861P under attack, defence protocols engaged" the computer interrupted my thoughts and I blinked, sitting up straight, hands going to the table as the camera feed from said unit began to sway wildly as something attacked it from behind.

"What?"

Really, what else could I say?

We'd literally just done a though inspection of the damned ship and yet somehow missed someone or something large enough to be physically overpowering a B-1/R. I blinked as Unit-422B turned, blaster rifle lowered as Unit-861P appeared to be struggling...

I blinked.

...with the dead human they'd inspected in the canteen. Dead, with patches of fungus on its injured face and clothes...on, and glowing green eyes, because of course it did. I pressed the button on the communications channel through to Gardan on the bridge, his voice answering a second later as the helmet cam footage showed the droid manage to shove away the zombie and shoot it "General?"

"I want targeting solutions on the Sunlight Dreaming, those engines activate without my say so that ship gets blasted into debris. Pass the world to Admiral Ironhill, and have him contact us immediately"

"Aye Aye Sir"

I turned my head towards Stass as the zombie...because gods damned undead were bloody everywhere...collapsed to the floor, inactive again. More concerning was the whispers at the edge of my awareness "Did you feel that?"

My former Master nodded slowly "Yes...there was a faint, something, in the Force"

"Yeah, though so..." I replied as comm-unit beside me buzzed and I thumbed it, turning away from answering Stass "...Jurdan, you see what we are?"

"Yes, freaky stuff Daron, what I think it is?"

"Yeah, maybe a Force user, along with bio-weapon, so Rakghoul Protocols fleet-wide. Emergency response systems to prep in case of mental attack you agree?"

"Indeed, I'll pass it unto to Shesagora"

I nodded to myself "Thanks, I'll have Braika raise security status here..." then glanced at the others at the table, Stass primarily "...Now, threat levels up. I'm pretty sure we're not going to like what we find in those ruins, or the ship, so I think it might be a good idea to contact the Council. Because honestly? My inclination is to bombard whatever it is from orbit soon as we figure out what's causing this, but if we have to go down and deal with whatever it is then we do..."

Glancing up as the other dead crew member staggered down the corridor towards the droids, even as the first one attempted to stand up again. Right after another burst of that signal at that...

I sighed, shifting focus again as I sent orders over the command circuit "Unit-422B and Unit-861P, disable and restrain hostiles. Target limbs with blasters and remove with cutting tools"

"Roger, Roger"

Stass was nodding back to me "Yes, there is something wrong with this place, seriously so. I will contact the Council immediately, but I think we should continue the investigation with the droids deployed groundside"

I paused, glancing at Yulen and Weebako who both nodded, though Yulen was the one to speak "I agree, more we know Boss, but best have the two droid squads link up and move together"

"Good point" I agreed doing just that and sending instructions to the groundside units to implement an alternate scouting pattern with a short burst of numbers. On the screen one of the B-1/R's had drawn out an energy cutter and was slicing off the arm of one of the downed, and damaged, zombies as it, yet again, flopped unto the ground like a puppet with its strings cut...

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