Ask Under the City

[Samira el-Masih]

Planet Akiva
The Capital City of Myrra
18:27 Galactic Standard Time

A heavy rain fell over the old capital city of Myrra. The city had a prominent history throughout the clone wars and then the era of the Galactic Empire, but its name is mostly forgotten these days amongst the public. However, many historians and archaeologists look towards the city desirable, as it was built over large catacombs. Catacombs are notoriously known for holding historic artifacts and other goodies. The Myrra catacombs were incredibly dangerous, as they were occupied by the primitive Uugteen; many explorers did not return after venturing to these catacombs. Thus it became illegal to search them, unless you one of the few individuals granted permission to do so. It was difficult to get permission, and you had to be sponsored by a reputable organization. Unfortunately for Samira, the Galactic Museum was not interested in disturbing the deceased, so she took matters in her own hands.

In the cover of night and rain, Samira lifted the grate of a storm drain. She put on her helmet and slid down the drain, eventually splashing into a large pool of rainwater. It was pitch dark, so she activated the low-light function on her helmet. Samira swam to a nearby walkway and pulled herself out of the water, and thanked the force that there wasn't a monster waiting to hear her. After attempting to wring the excess water off of her clothes and hair, she began to traverse through the underground tunnel. The city's underground networks were connected to each other, which included the catacombs. The collected rainwater seemed to flow somewhere, so Samira followed it. She wondered if the Uugteen people would use the rain as their water-source.

Samira kept a tight grip on her pistols, as it was better to be safe than sorry. The primitive people living underground supposedly use weapons and items they took from an underground droid construction facility. For that reason, it was best to be as unnoticed as possible, and that is why Samira did not pack a torch. While the Uugteen probably could see better in the dark than normal people, having a bright light would be asking to be attacked.

After some time, Samira could make out the sound of fire; there was definitely people nearby. She peered around a corner but couldn't see anyone, but she could see the feint glow of multiple fires. They were organized, as if it were a part of the design of the location. Samira crept down the walkway and observed her surroundings. The stone was cut well, and there were many architectural structures: arches, columns, and staircases. These were probably built before the city of Myrra, and Samira hoped it wasn't the primitive under dwellers that did so.

At the sound of footsteps and the clanking of metal, Samira quickly hid herself behind a pile of rubble. In her view came three scrawny and disproportioned pale humanoid beings wearing what appeared to be droid parts. They were communicating with each other and carrying something, but Samira couldn't quite make out what it was. After they began tearing into it, Samira realized it was food. "How could they have caught something down here?" she thought to herself. With her two blaster pistols at the ready, she ambushed the three and swiftly took them out. One of them let out a ghastly shriek which sounded horrid and was deafening. Samira could only hope it didn't alert anyone else. She continued down the walkway, following the water which led deeper into the tunnels.

@LouJoVi

 

[Marius Kord]

Akiva was a planet full of mysteries and history. Millenia ago, it’s jungles were the home of the Ahia-ko, a species that had built several great temples. Beyond them, the planet was also the homeworld of the Uugteen, a race of primitive near-humans that built several catacombs located below the city of Myrra, capital of the planet.

Was to study these catacombs that Marius had come to Akiva. Apparently, there were rumors that this place could have a connection with the Jedi or Sith and he wanted to investigate if it was true. Due to the Uugteen still living in the catacombs, the exploration of this place was very dangerous. To enter there was necessary to have the authorization of the governor of the planet and to convince the leader of the Uugteens.

Thankfully, Marius was able to convince the Sava of the University of Bar’ leth to sponsor this little expedition. With the support of the University, the governor of Akiva gave her permission for him to enter the catacombs. However, before he could enter there, the archaeologist ended up needing to meet with the leader of the Uugteen. With him was a xeno-ethnologist that had studied at Bar’leth, a male Devaronian called Ragor Drant, who was acting as interpreter.

He lived in Akiva for decades studying the Uugteen and had been able to make a friendship with the group. Ragor was even wearing pieces of old battle droids that were given to him by the near-humans. Apparently, he always used it whenever he visited the catacombs because it would be impolite if he didn’t do it. With the Devaronian help, Marius was able to convince the leader to allow him to visit the deep parts of the catacombs.

Perhaps what really convinced them were the gifts that he brought. Some cheap trinkets and food. Marius was surprised with how the Uugteen seemed to have some type of organization, forming a queue to pick the gifts. Except three individuals that rushed in front of everyone, grabbed the food and ran away. By the way that the leader reacted, he seemed to be mad with their behavior. Apparently, they were teenagers.

After the gifts were distributed, the leader of the Uugteen showed Marius a tunnel that he should follow if he wanted to reach the ancient areas of the catacomb. The near-human was obviously distressed. Ragor told the archaeologist that even them feared going down there because of legends about this place.

“I’ll be fine.” Marius smiled at Ragor and the leader, who looked like he wanted to run away. Picking his flashlight, the archeologist started to walk down the darkness of the tunnel. Hopefully he would find something interesting down there.

@Altaria

 

[Samira el-Masih]

Traversing down the tunnel was a bit more tedious than Samira thought. There were many other tunnels and pathways that connected to hers, and they probably connected to other entrances, exits, and points of interests. "and I haven't even reached the actual catacombs yet..." she muttered to herself. She would have to carefully check around each corner in case there was a stray group of Uugteen primitives hanging around. Samira always had a great deal of confidence in herself, but even she knew things would not turn out well down here; she was alone in an unfamiliar environment alongside what could be thousands of Uugteen people.

Dim lights slowly lit the surrounding area the further Samira went, until she eventually came across a gigantic opening. She couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her very own eyes. The rumors of a large droid factory were true, in fact, the rumors did not provide proper justice to the factory; it was gigantic. The tunnel Samira was in wasn't connected anymore, and only led to what appeared to be a 100 meter drop. There was a lengthy pathway in the center of the factory, but it seemed just out of reach of a grapple gun. There were plenty of Uugteen around as well, so she would be easily spotted if she tried to reach the center path anyways.

Luckily there were many other tunnels connected to the factory. This was probably one of the main points of the catacomb maze, and thus the fun began. Pulling out a grapple gun, Samira shot it directly next to her feet. She tugged on the synthetic cord a few times before clipping it onto her harness and repelled down the wall. After reaching the maximum length, Samira jumped to a nearby set of large industrial pipes, landing with a large thud. She quickly scrambled to her feet and checked to see if she alerted any of the Uugteen people. Fortunately they all did not mind the thud at all. After reeling in her line, Samira continued her descent until she reached the bottom of the factory. Skeletons and other various bones laid on the rocky bottom, and there were harsher less carved out tunnels connected. There didn't seem to be an indication on which tunnel was the correct one, so all Samira could do was guess. She chose the tunnel that had the least amount of bones trailing into it, and furthered herself into the unknown.

The maze was incredibly eerie, and it even felt like she was being watched. However, nothing showed up when she turned on her thermal vision. She could feel the eyes though; Samira started to believe in ghosts at this point. The destination in mind gave her determination. The most recent survivor of the catacombs spoke of a large emptied throne room within the maze. He said he wish he had more time to explore, but he and his soon to be dead partners were more focused on escaping. Throne rooms were precious gold mines to archaeologists, as they commonly held many treasures. A throne room in such a difficult and treacherous location was bound to have unforeseen valuables.

@LouJoVi

 

[Marius Kord]

Marius continued to walk through the dark tunnel, his flashlight being the only source of light in this place. Occasionally he would point it in one of the walls, hoping to see if there was something on it. So far he saw nothing, only stones and moss. There was also the occasional metal pipe from the droid factory made by the Separatists during the Clone Wars.

This meant that he was still in the “new” part of the catacombs. He needed to continue walking. According to the search that he made before presenting the idea of this expedition to the Sava of Bar’leth, the ancient part of this place would have patterns and images on the walls.

According to the writings of one of the few explorers that survived this place, by following these patterns you would find a throne room. Marius wondered who built this place. THe theory that he had formulated was that in the past the Uugteen could have been more advanced than what the scientific community thought. However, he couldn’t ignore the possibility of the Jedi and Sith being behind the construction of the catacombs. The Archaeologist couldn’t wait to reach this place.

After some time walking, the patterns finally started to appear on the walls. Marius would occasionally stop to analyze them, using his Datapad to take pictures of it. “They are angular, similar to what can be seen in the ruins made by the Zeffo.” he said, his voice being recorded. This was new, he didn’t read anything that could associate this ancient society to Akiva.

As instructed by his search, Marius would follow the patterns. Finally he would reach a doorway, crossing it he would find himself in a large room. There was a bit of light coming from the ceiling. The room had several other tunnels and a door. He approached the door and saw that there was a switch next to it. However, he had decided to open it later. Now he decided to study the carvings that filled the door.

There were several figures carved in it, but three were everywhere. They were a woman and two men. However, one of them was older. They were represented in different positions, but always together. “The three figures seem to be important to the civilization that built this place.” he said, recording the images. They reminded him of the Mortis Gods.

“There are also images there that look like the Zeffo.” Marcus pointed to a carving that seemed to be this species. The Archaeologist was wondering if this civilization had visited Akiva at some point.

@Altaria

 

[Samira el-Masih]

Approaching an intersection, Samira stopped to take a better look at one of the walls. This was the first time any of the walls had a unique pattern carved into it. She looked down the wall and noticed the carvings repeated. "Must be pointing to something." she said to herself.

clink

A metal thud a few feet away from Samira. She quickly turned around and pointed her blasters in the direction of the sound, but there was nothing. A small pipe lay on the ground. Samira stood confused "The factory was built way higher, surely there couldn't-" she looked up as she spoke and was shocked. A few Uugteen males clung to the ceiling of the tunnel, and they snarled upon being noticed. "These fuckers followed me!" Samira exclaimed and she began to fire upon them.

One was hit right in the head and fell down with a heavy thud, the others let out a shriek and lunged towards Samira. She rolled out of the way and sprinted down the tunnel with the markings. The Uugteen pursued her, throwing whatever objects they had in their hand. Samira ducked, dodged, and slipped around corners while following the patterned wall. Eventually a feint light was visible ahead and Samira sprinted for it. "There it is!" she thought to herself after noticing it was a large room. The tunnel exit sat about 10 feet higher than the floor of the room. Samira leaped out and spun mid-air, shooting the pursuing Uugteen before landing on her back.

She quickly got up to her feet and looked around. She spotted another individual and quickly pointed her blasters, but paused right before firing. "Hey pretty boy! What the kriff are you doing here?!" Samira kept her blasters pointed at him and slowly approached. "I hope you're not looking for the same treasure as me because I don't like to share."

@LouJoVi

 

[Marius Kord]

”Apparently the three figures met with the ones that look like the Zeffo.” Marius continued doing his observations, his Datapad filming the carvings and recording his voice. “In this one it seems that the Zeffo were worshipping the three figures. Perhaps they were some group of deities that used to be part of this civilization’s religion.”

All of it was fascinating. If this place was really a signal of the Zeffo presence, it would mean that many specialists were right, this species really visited other worlds. The best part was that if these carvings really showed some worshipping ritual performed by them, it would be another clue in deciphering the mystery that was their religion.

Although the Zeffo culture was one of the most studied by historians, it still held many secrets. For example, there wasn’t a concise comprehension of their religion. Most of it was formed by fragmented knowledge resulting from the observations made in the ancient ruins of their homeworld. Apparently they had a pantheon of gods and the Force was part of it, called by them as the “Life Wind”.

Perhaps these three gods were the most important of this pantheon and behind this door would be an ancient place where their worship happened. The said throne room could be a symbolic place, important for their rituals. Marius already made so many theories that his mind was spinning, he should open the door at once.

Marius moved his hand to pull the switch, but the sound of something falling down made him jump. Turning to where the sound had come, the man saw a woman pointing a blaster at him. By what she said, the archaeologist concluded that she could only be a marauder wanting to defile the historical place. He hated this type of people.

“I think that you are confused, miss. There isn’t any treasure down there, unless you think that this entire place is an archeological treasure, then you are right.” none of the sources that he used in his search mentioned a treasure being at these catacombs. “My name is Marius, I’m an archaeologist of the University of bar’leth. Who are you?”

@Altaria

 

[Samira el-Masih]

Samira stood silent for a moment to think about the situation. His affiliation with a university is probably what allowed him to be down here. He didn't seem to be a trouble maker either. "Samira el-Masih, archaeologist for the Galactic Museum." She holstered both of her blasters and took off her helmet, revealing her tan skin and orange hair. "For an archaeologist you should know better than to speak of uncertainties as fact. There are a few journals from old separatist miners, ya know the ones that built that big ol' factory down here, who snagged some precious jewelry off of dead bodies within these catacombs."

Pointing to all the tunnels within the room, Samira continued on "Large mazes like this aren't built for nothing. Even if it isn't a metal treasure, there is something hidden within this maze." She looked at the door Marius was about to open "Those Zeffo related? If so, you should know they hide things here and there." Samira didn't study the Zeffo much, but has heard about the numerous locations with their presence. The fact a random door was placed in such a bizarre spot had to mean something. Logically it made sense.

"Let's open up that door pretty boy, before some angry Uugteen get down here."

@LouJoVi

 

[Marius Kord]

Marius was surprised when the woman, who he now knew was named Samira, presented herself as an archaeologist of the Galactic Museum. The way that she appeared there looked like she was a criminal. However, he wasn’t surprised by it. The institution where she worked had a long story of working with tomb raiders.

“Yes, there is. However it doesn't turn these catacombs in the place of some sort of secret treasure. Articles made by specialists of Bar’leth explain that these miners raided ancient graves.” he said, obviously annoyed by her questioning his status as an archaeologist. “If you came here believing that you would find an incredible treasure, you fell in a fairy tale.”

“I know very well what the Zeffo did across the Galaxy. You probably know that they used to build several tunnels in their sacred places.” Samira was really petulant. Who was she to question his status as an archeologist? ”After I analyzed these carvings, I believe that behind these doors were some type of place of worship.”

“I was going to open it when you interrupted me.” Marius’ frowned, now she was giving him orders. “Why are you afraid of the Uugteen? If you work at the Galactic Museum and are there, you received permission from the Governor of Akiva and of the Uugteen Leader, right?” she couldn’t be crazy to come to these catacombs without permission. That would be suicide.

Anyway, Marius didn’t wait for Samira’s answer. He held the switch and activated it, making the doors start to open with a loud sound. After it was open, the Archaeologist crossed the doorway and entered this new place.

It was a room larger than the other, with walls covered with carvings. However, the most impressive thing was the three thrones in the center of the room. They were arranged side by side, with the one in the middle being a bit higher than the other two. Light coming from the ceiling was hitting exactly over them. Marius could only think that it was an Amazing discovery.

@Altaria

 

[Samira el-Masih]

"Yeah, about the permission; The Uugteen aren't very fond of the Museum. So I came here on my own accord." Samira entered the room and pushed passed Marius "and if you came here believing you wouldn't find an incredible treasure, then I'm afraid the University of Bar'leth has entered a state of decay." She hated know-it-alls like Marius, especially if they were a man. For too long she listened to men, and so did her late mother.

Samira walked up to the thrones and observed them. They were made out of beautifully cut marble and connected to the ground itself. There were different markings and drawings on them; Samira would let Marius inspect them. What interested Samira the most was a slight opening underneath the seat of the middle throne. She tried to peak inside, but the crack was too small; it was incredibly dark as well, so Samira assumed there was a decently sized space underneath. She tried to lift the seat up to open it, but it didn't budge at all. Then she tried sliding the seat out but to no avail. While she wasn't the strongest individual, there was no way a person could remove the seat. Samira backed up and took a look at the ceiling. "So much mystery.... where could that light be coming from as well?" she muttered.

Unfortunately there was nothing up there that Samira could grapple too, and the hook wouldn't be able to penetrate the stone. She assumed the light source came from a type of plant, but it was strange for it to be this powerful. She then directed her attention to the walls of the room. There were many stones that stuck out about 3 inches from the wall, and they were in a pattern as well. Samira walked over to the far right wall and approached one of the stones. She pressed on it a bit, but didn't push it all the way in case it was dangerous. "Hey smart-ass!" she called out. "I think we have a puzzle on our hands! Does the throne say anything about it?" Samira hoped he deciphered the markings on the thrones already.

She thought about shooting the man and solving the puzzle on her own. However, she figured Marius might be able to help her leave the catacombs without running into more trouble with the Uugteen. Maybe then she would shoot him...

@LouJoVi

 

[Marius Kord]

Marius stared astonished at Samira.”Did you came here without the permission of the Uugteen?” she was really a suicidal. Invading the catacombs this way would make the near-humans furious.”Are you crazy? They will kill you without any remorse.”

“I came here because I believe that this entire place is a treasure, not because I want to dig tombs to pick jewels and gold.” Marius was annoyed with her comment. He was an archaeologist and not a tomb raider. For him a place like this, full of secrets that would bring amazing discoveries, was more worth than any treasure.

However, he doubted that someone from the Galactic Museum would understand it. After all, this place was famous for hiring people to raid ruins and tombs. Samira was probably one of them.

While the half-Sephi went to look at the thrones. Marius approached the walls, analyzing the carvings on it. They reminded him of how some cultures would record important events of their civilization this way. The beings represented in most of these images didn’t look like the Zeffo, but as the three figures that were being worshiped in the carvings of the door. However, this time there were more than only three.

There were several scenes represented on the walls. In one of them, the beings were fighting some sort of tentacled creature, while in another they were surrounded by Zeffo, who seemed to be worshipping them. Marius was recording all of this. These beings were probably the pantheon of gods that the Zeffo once worshiped. It was fascinating!

When Marius heard Samira talking, he became annoyed with her. He hadn't started analyzing the thrones yet, having preferred to study the carvings at one of the walls first. The Archaeologist walked to the center of the room and started to see it. The "marks" were more like the ancient language used by the Zeffo. There were also drawings that he had only seen associated with Force related cults.

His Zeffo wasn’t perfect, but he could at least translate some of it "The marks are letters of the Zeffo language. Each throne has a phrase that only makes sense together. 'There is the seat of the Ones who guard the Power.' It’s what is written there." Marius doesn't know what that means. Perhaps this place could have been used as a throne room for some royal court.

Then he noticed the wall that was at the other side of the room, the one which the thrones were in front of. Marius ran toward, staring wide eyed at the carvings on it. There was the representation of a woman, a young man and an older man.

"The Mortis Gods." Marius muttered. He couldn't believe that they were also present in the culture of Zeffo. He recorded it in his Datapad, this discovery could be one of the most important discoveries made about their civilization. Below them, there was more carving with their language. "To reveal the way, the three must be pressed." the Archaeologist said in a loud voice, so Samira could hear.

Stopping his analysis of the carving, Marius walked to where Samira was. He looked at the stones that were protruding from the wall. He noticed that some of them had carvings. "Do you see these marks? These three were in each of the thrones." he said, pointing to three stones. "Perhaps these are the three that need to be pressed."

@Altaria

 

[Samira el-Masih]

Samira scoffed at Marius' comments "They've already tried killing me. Who do you think I was shooting at earlier? I also never recall saying I was here for gold, just a treasure. In the same way you came down here for a treasure: this place." She hated it when people tried to make situations deeper than they seemed. They were both down here for a treasure, and it was as simple as that for Samira.

The markings on the wall didn't mean much to her. Besides, Marius was there to flaunt how much he knows about it anyways. 'to reveal the way, the three must be pressed.... but which kriffing three?' There were many stones that stuck out, and Samira scanned them all. Luckily for her, Marius came by to point out the correct ones. "Good job frosty" Samira said, throwing a jab at the style of Marius' hair. She went over to the three stones he pointed at and pressed them all the way in. After doing so, she waited to see what would happen; nothing happened. "Hey you sure those were th-"

Suddenly the two would feel like they were moving. "What in the world?" Samira muttered. She turned to look at the door, which somehow disappeared entirely. Panic began to set in, until she noticed the two were now standing where the door use to be. The light that hit the door directly was now hitting Samira right in the face. "We're spinning, wait, the room is spinning clockwise!" she exclaimed. The room would come to a sudden stop, slightly disorienting Samira. She quickly regained her composure and looked towards Marius"Hey buddy, you know anything about Zeffo mechanical engineering?"

Despite the rest of the room spinning, the thrones were still facing the same direction. 'Well that doesn't make any sense..' Samira ran up to the center one and tried lifting the seat again, but it still refused to budge. The gap did seem marginally bigger, but Samira could barely fit a finger through it. She backed away angrily, wishing she had explosives to just blow it up.

@LouJoVi

 

[Marius Kord]

When he heard Samira call him frosty, Marius grimaced. This woman seemed like a teenager at high school. Can't she act more like an adult? They were in front of what could be one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the century and not on a school trip.

His musings about how Samira was childish were interrupted by the feeling that he was moving. Looking around, Marius noticed that the woman was right, the room was really moving. The movement had made the door disappear and the Archaeologist became apprehensive. How would they leave this place?

When the room finally stopped, Marius turned to Samira. "I know that many of their buildings used wind, spheres and sometimes spinning mechanisms." he answered her question. Having a room that spins was something that made total sense for a place that was built by the Zeffo.

While Samira was once again looking at the thrones, Marius looked at the wall that was behind it. The carvings of the Mortis Gods had disappeared, being replaced by a new door. It was interesting. The Archaeologist had turned to look at the other side of the room, where the entrance used to be.

As he suspected, the carvings of the Mortis Gods were now there. "When the room spun, the door changed its position." Marius pointed to the new passage, before walking toward it. "The entrance through where we came is behind that wall." he pointed to the carvings.

Using his flashlight, Marius illuminated the new corridor. It seemed to go deep in the darkness, with light only illuminating a part of it. "We should go through there, this way we can find more information about what this place was."

@Altaria

 

[Samira el-Masih]

"Spinning mechanisms? Well then add this one to the list." Samira glanced around the room. It didn't seem possible for it to spin via wind, and it was a squared room. There was some other mystery to this place then, unless the complexity behind such a feature is beyond her comprehension.

She turned towards Marius and made her way to the passage. "These Zeffo sure enjoy hiding things." Samira then brought her attention to the carvings Marius pointed at which indicated where the old doorway was. Hopefully there was another exit on the end of the new passageway; it would be annoying to come all the way back and spin the room back around. There could even be Uugteen warriors waiting for them on the other side.

Samira turned back to the new tunnel and put her helmet back on. The flashlight wasn't able to illuminate everything, and who knows what dangers could lay ahead. "Stay behind me frosty." She stepped into the new corridor and made her way through. Unlike the rest of the maze, this corridor had no intersections. It was a single straight passage with no connections to other tunnels. It meant that the only way to find this tunnel was to solve the puzzle.

@LouJoVi

 

[Marius Kord]

Once again Samira called him frosty. ”My name is Marius.” he muttered. The woman probably had pleasure in annoying him, this was the only explanation for her constantly calling the Archaeologist this way. Maybe he should throw her to the Uugteens. Although, she would probably make the entire tribe kill themselves due to being so insufferable.

Sighing, Marius followed her through the corridor. He didn’t understand why he should be the one that stayed behind. After all, the Archaeologist was the one with the flashlight. While they walked through the corridor, the man would look at the walls. There were characteristic symbols at them that were only found in ancient Zeffo ruins. If there was any doubt before, now he was certain that this species had built this place.

At the end of the corridor, they would find another room. This one was larger than the other and there was even more carving. Light was also coming from the ceiling, illuminating a carving that was on the floor at the center of the room. There were small spheres encrusted on it that shined like stars. If one of them looked close enough, they would notice that it was a map of the Galaxy.

However, Marius was too distracted looking at the three giant statues at the other side of the room. Even with the traces of the Zeffo, he could perfectly see the form of a woman and two men, with one being older than the other. “The Mortis Gods! The Zeffo knew about them!” the Archaeologist would exclaim, before pulling his Datapad and starting to take pictures. It was probably the discovery of the century!

@Altaria