The Godless Matron was once a Trade Federation battleship, crewed by countless droid workers. Since then, many sections of the ship have fallen into disrepair due to the sheer amount of manpower involved in its maintenance. As a result, parts of the central sphere of the Lucrehulk-class battleship has been left to the ravages of time and the scars of the Clone War itself.

The crew has come to refer to this section of the Matron as The Gauntlet, largely due to the danger it represents. Located in the lower regions of the command sphere, it is a crosshatched network of ruined and damaged hallways, repair bays, and even crew quarters. While most power has been shut off to this section — save for critical systems such as life support — the systems and circuitry still require occasional maintenance in order to keep the entire framework operational. Such tech runs have become a matter of betting amongst the crew, earning it the nickname: running the gauntlet.

A heavy layer of dust sits mostly undisturbed along the debris of the halls, save for the footprints of the few crew that have tread the path before. These previously walked paths are a safety net for those who venture into The Gauntlet unknowingly. It is also thought that the remaining Separatist forces staged a last ditch defense within this area of the ship, and did so by any means necessary. Many traps, ranging from explosives to spring-loaded mechanisms, are littered throughout the untravelled pathways — or even still undisturbed within the known sections. Further still, malfunctioning B1 droids and even semi-active Spy Drones remain, ready to ambush the unsuspecting observer and adding to the dangers of the dark, debris filled tomb The Gauntlet has become.

Countless perils awaited those who ventured into the furthest depths of the Gauntlet. This fact was known to the crew of the Godless Matron better than most. There was opportunity, however, when the right circumstances presented themselves. The Herald had offered safe passage and not an entirely small sum of credits to whomsoever managed to 'run the Gauntlet' successfully. The proof of such a feat lay deep within the labyrinthine halls themselves, with a banner bearing the Herald's crest waiting to be claimed.

The risks of the Gauntlet alone were enough to dissuade most, but the crew of the Godless Matron had insured that the ante, so to speak, was to be raised. Those who entered the Gauntlet would do so from varying access points, and all would gain entry at the same designated intervals until the prize was claimed.

“Roger roger!”

Arden sighed as he looked down at the head and torso of a B1 battle droid that apparently still had the ability to speak. Seeing that his attempt to sneak down the corridor was now ruined, her decided to have a bit of fun. Carefully lining up the shot, Arden gave the droid’s head a swift kick which was both enough to to detach the cranial unit from the remainder of the droid and finish off it’s vocal processor. With a last whine the droid fell silent and Arden could go back to figuring out the puzzle ahead of him with relative silence.

Many of the corridors in this part of the ship had shown signs of damage, but this was the worst of the lot. Jagged debris, exposed wiring hanging from the ceiling, and the faint hiss of some sort of gas could be heard ahead. One wrong move could cause a major problem, so the Plagueian had been carefully trying to work out a solution that would allow him to pass without blowing him up or shocking himself to a crisp. This whole escapade was a stupid bit of folly, another game Pravus and the council were having them play, this time for someone else’s amusement too. At least he could understand the pirates’ motivations, the ex Espo had dealt with their kind far too often. Pirates were ultimately predictable, Pravus’ and the council’s weren’t. Motivations didn’t really matter right now, survival did. And any chance at long term survival meant getting through this corridor.

But how to approach it?

As he studied the situation, Arden had the thought to focus on the Force for a moment to make sure that there wasn’t anyone pursuing him or driving him forward as neither of those situations were out of the question. Though he felt another being coming up behind him, the Force only informed him of the presence slightly before his conventional senses. He could hear footsteps, very heavy ones, coming down the corridor behind him. There weren’t many races that could tromp like that, and Arden’s money was on one in particular.

”They had to send a Wookie, didn’t they”. Arden mused to himself.

As much he didn’t really want to deal with a Wookie right now, since that usually hurt, the Plagueian did sense an opportunity here. If he let the hairy humanoid go first, it might set off whatever horrific thing was down there. And if he was wrong and there was nothing down there, Arden could just leisurely shoot the Wookie in the back. Sounded like a win win for him.

Before the furred alien could spot him, Arden found a wide spot in the corridor, pressed himself against a wall the best he could, and used the Force to disappear from view. As suspected, a smaller than average ,but still massive brown, furred Wookie stomped into view. He stopped mere centimeters from Arden, close enough to hear him breathe if it wasn’t for the great lengths the trained sniper was going through to control it. After a tense few seconds, something Arden hadn’t anticipated occurred.

With a loud creaking sound, the ship lurched ever so slightly to the right. Normally this would have been only a minor matter of maintaining balance, but there was a complication. One of the exposed wires that had been hanging down made contact with the wall Arden was pressed up against. Sensing the danger in advance, Arden pulled himself away from the wall in time to only get the slightest shock. In doing so, Arden stumbled slightly and found his nose in the Wookies arm fur. One thought instantly came to mind.

”I’m never going to get that smell out of my nose. Also, this is going to hurt now.”