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 ensured 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.

Dust lingered in the air as Morgan made her way, slowly, through the Force-forsaken corridors of the Gauntlet. The dank air and rotting debris didn’t really bother her — and neither did the traps, of which she had noticed at least twelve in the last ten minutes of her excursion — but the atmosphere did little to calm her nerves. Lights flickered overhead, their circuitry long since fallen into disrepair. Condensed water trickled from openings or water pipes broken from the cold of the interior. The climate control in her particular section seemed to be damaged or otherwise inoperable because she could see her own breath and feel her fingers tingling with the frost. Luckily for her, she had planned ahead and worn a thicker jacket.

Morgan’s breath mask kept most of the dust and air contaminants away from her lungs. She trusted the air conditioning as much as she trusted the climate control. Besides, who even knew what the Separatists held in storage in many of the bays in the Gauntlet.

The Herald cursed her Quartermaster for setting her up with this little trip. They had bet on a particularly interesting fight in Hangar Zerek, and Morgan had lost the bet. The deal was to brave the Gauntlet, alone. The pirate captain, never one to go back on her word, agreed to do it — a fact she seemed to hate at that particular moment.

For all her caution and anxiety about the ambiance, though, Morgan constantly felt a tingle in the back of her mind. Like a lingering sense of presence she couldn’t quite pinpoint. Half-blind in the darkened corridors, she relied on her incorporeal senses more than anything else. The pirate was fairly sure someone was following her.

She carried on, careful to avoid any obvious piles of rubble and debris for fear of more traps. The hallway seemed to split into a T-section. The left looked to be even darker than before, but the right carried her into a better lit section of the ship. Unsure where to go next, she took the obvious route and went into the darkness — after all, what kind of self respecting pirate would place a standard into a well lit, safe-looking area of a death trap. Most of the bilge rats that she sent down into the Gauntlet weren’t all that smart and the irony of it would escape them.

Pretty soon she found herself in deeper darkness, the only weak lighting provided from the passage behind her and several flickering ceiling bulbs in the corridor beyond. The small crossroad section she stood in seemed to lead into three different paths, each splitting in different directions. Two of those, the left and right, seemed deliberately blocked by debris. The Herald raised an eyebrow in confusion just before the tingle in the back of her mind turned into an alarm.

In front..!

She ducked instinctively, dodging the incoming lightsaber that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She rolled out of the way as it fell to the ground and, just as swiftly, flew back to its source. The Herald’s eyes followed it and saw a towering Togruta in dark robes standing at the far end of the path she was about to take. He held two lightsabers in his hands and advanced towards her with determination. She scrambled to her feet as fast as she could, surprised by the sudden appearance of an apparent enemy.

“Stay away from me,” she managed to say before she ran back the way she came.

There was a constricting darkness all about the Togruta Sith. He paced forward following the loud footsteps of the woman who had suddenly appeared in front of him. Taasii couldn’t be sure, but he thought he recognized the woman from somewhere, but from the brief glance in the gloom of the ship, he couldn’t place her.

Abadeer paced at a medium pace through the winding halls of The Gauntlet, deactivating his sabers almost as soon as the woman had run off. He preferred an element of surprise, and he had a much easier time “seeing” in the dark than most other races. Taasii wouldn’t let himself move too quickly though as he had encountered far too many traps throughout The Gauntlet as it was. He didn’t need to stupidly stumble into one as he pursued the fleeing woman.

As the Plaguein slowly prowled the halls, his senses began to alert him to a sentience in close proximity to himself. Abadeer slowly went around every corner, checking for the woman. After two empty corridors he came around one corner where to girl was hunched over something, messing with something Abadeer couldn’t quite make out.

Taasii stepped forward where the woman could see him, more sure of himself than he probably should have been on the dangerous ship.

“Now why would you be running from me?” Taasii grinned, letting his fangs bare. The woman shuffled a little then turned to face the Togruta.

“Why don’t I let you see?” It was the only warning Abadeer had before several bolts came screaming his way. He’d stayed cautious though, and trusted his reflexes to neatly dodge out of the way of the first bolt with a turn of his shoulder. He continued this into a full rotation to spin back around the corner.

I hate blasters, why does everyone have a blaster? Taasii thought to himself, as the sound of incoming fire died down.

“Now who’s running? Come on out big guy!” An alluring voice came from around the corner. Abadeer nearly forgot himself, and took a half step back out of cover before catching himself. Abadeer wasn’t sure quite what happened, but he decided to be careful around this one. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes. The Sith focused on himself, and focused on the darkness until they became one, causing his body to disappear. As silently and as carefully as he could, Abadeer stepped around the corner and started picking his way down the hall towards the hunched woman.

“Ah, there you are.” The woman said with a dark glint in her eye. Abadeer’s eyes narrowed, it was almost like she could see right where he was. Taasii glanced down, not comprehending what he saw. He was totally visible, eyes widened, not comprehending.

“That’s my present to you, it comes with a little extra.” She stood up fully facing Abadeer. He then realized where he knew her from, and just how much trouble he was in. This was Morgan Sorenn, Herald of the Dark Council. She pulled her hand back and lazily tossed a small, thin, silver rod down the hall towards Abadeer. “Enjoy.” Morgan said with a wink before sprinting down the hall. Abadeer looked down at the blinking cylinder.

“Oh shi…”