Kael sat in the Specter of Light's briefing room, the holo-display hovering above the round tactical table. Cortana's projection flickered to life, bringing up a new MercNet contract.
The mission parameters unfolded in scrolling blue text.
Contract ID: 0047-CR-Δ
Origin: Unaffiliated anonymous source
Objective: Investigate derelict facility in the Mereel Drift
Coordinates: Uncharted orbit, DS-231
Threat Level: Unknown
Reward: 12,000 credits + salvage rights
Notes: "No life signals. No contact for 16 years. Bring weapons."
Kael crossed his arms.
"This sounds like a setup."
"Or a bargain," Cortana replied. "The facility is a former Kaminoan genetics lab, blacksite-class. Off-grid, unregistered, decommissioned… theoretically. It was researching extreme biology — pre-Empire, funded by rogue factions during the tail end of the High Republic."
Voro frowned. "You think it's Sith?"
"Unlikely," Cortana said. "More likely corporate or militarized science. Still — it's a perfect low-risk test for the Specter's engines, sensors, and team response."
Kael nodded slowly. "Prep jump. We go at rotation shift."
He paused.
"And keep Aris on the ship. This isn't a training mission."
The Specter tore through hyperspace like a knife through silk. Though her frame was ancient, her heart had been reignited. Her new hyperdrive ran smoother than Kael expected, thanks to Cortana's code patches and Vox's makeshift coolant loop reroutes.
Within twelve hours, they arrived in the Mereel Drift — a pale graveyard of shattered moons and radiation-warped rock.
The facility sat on the edge of a fractured dwarf planet, half-buried in crust and snow. Black spires pierced the surface like jagged teeth. No beacons. No movement.
Kael stood at the viewport. "Bring us into low orbit. Keep engines warm."
"Already done," Cortana replied.
[ Mission Accepted: Blood and Bone ]Objective: Investigate Derelict Research Lab – Site Delta-SevenTeam: Kael, Voro, VoxThreat: Unknown (Biological Containment Breach Suspected)System Suggestion: Bring Environmental Armor + Stun WeaponsBonus Reward: Salvageable Research Logs | Rare Biological Data | Gene-Mod Templates
The shuttle descent was uneventful. Snow blasted the outer hull, but the facility was still pressurized — just enough for breaching without risking decompression.
Kael led the way through the shattered outer gate, blade in hand. His armor hissed as it auto-sealed, matching atmospheric shifts.
Inside, the walls were white and sterile — or had been once. Now they were scorched with carbon marks, dried blood, and scratch marks far too long to be human.
"Place looks like it got hit by a war," Vox said.
Voro knelt beside a broken datapad, fingers sweeping dust. "No droid marks. This was hand-to-hand."
Kael moved deeper, toward the central chamber. As they rounded the corner—
—they found a sealed glass tank, cracked but still partially powered.
Inside floated a humanoid, limbs extended like a crucified figure, its skin a translucent pale blue and eyes black as oil. Tubes still ran into its back, feeding a pulsing substance Kael couldn't identify.
It turned its head — and looked directly at them.
[ Entity Detected: Class-X Modified Subject – Designation Unknown ]Neural Activity: PresentStatus: Dormant / Low PowerProject Title: "CHIMERA" – Adaptive Soldier PrototypeNote: Subject appears to retain memory and awareness beyond sedation thresholdSystem Alert: Containment Unstable
Kael stepped forward, instincts flaring. "Cortana, bring up its file."
A delay. Then a corrupted fragment.
"We tried to perfect them… not just clone them. Hybridize. Accelerate. It worked. Too well. They remembered everything. Even the pain."
Voro's hand hovered near her blaster.
Vox raised his pistol. "We shouldn't be here."
Kael agreed.
"Cortana—upload all non-fragmented research logs. Then we're torching this place."
But the moment Cortana tapped into the system — the lights died.
The tank cracked.
And the creature screamed.
The sound wasn't physical. It vibrated through the Force, slamming into Kael's skull like a pressure wave. His knees buckled. He dropped to the ground.
The tank exploded.
The figure moved.
Fast.
It hit Vox first — flinging him into a bulkhead with a sickening crunch. Voro fired three times, but the shots passed through the thing like it was vapor. It reformed — bone, skin, and black veins reknitting instantly.
Kael pulled himself up and threw a Force push — enough to shatter droids.
It staggered the creature for half a second.
Then it rushed him.
Kael dodged under its claws, igniting his saber. It shrieked again, claws scraping the walls, and then lunged — this time faster.
He moved with Revan's instincts.
Parried once.
Twice.
But the third time—
It slashed through his armor and drove him back into a wall. Sparks flew. His saber skidded across the floor.
[ Kael Health: -17% | Injury: Medium (Torso Laceration) ][ Emergency Override Suggested – MercNet: Tactical Backup Option Available ]
Kael grit his teeth. "Cortana—get the ship now."
"Already inbound," she said. "But ETA four minutes."
"We don't have four minutes!"
The creature stalked forward, hissing with unnatural voice. It wasn't speaking Basic, but Kael understood it.
"You are made of light," it whispered. "But I was made from what you left behind."
Kael drew a dagger from his belt — phrik-edged, short, deadly.
He stepped forward.
"You were made in fear. I fight for freedom. That means you lose."
Voro flanked the creature. Vox, coughing blood, still fired with his off-hand. They bought just enough time.
Kael lunged.
His blade found flesh — and this time, burned through.
The scream was real. The creature staggered backward, its arm falling limp. Kael pressed forward — saber, dagger, and Force — driving it into the emergency containment bay and slamming the door shut.
[ Containment Field Active – Power at 27% ]Estimated Containment Time: 3 minutes, 8 seconds
The Specter arrived overhead.
Extraction followed.
Back aboard, Kael collapsed onto the medical bench. Aris hovered nearby, ignored orders to stay behind.
"You're hurt," she said.
"I've been worse," he lied.
Voro patched his side. Vox coughed and waved away the medgel.
Cortana uploaded the data.
"We got it. All of it," she said. "Their genome work, their failed splicing techniques, their logs. If we ever need to understand what not to do with cloning tech…"
She hesitated.
"We now know."
[ Mission Complete: Blood and Bone ]
Rewards:
+12,000 credits | Blacksite Research Logs | Genome Templates (Restricted Use)Kael XP: +1,100 | Crew XP: +400
Damage Report: Kael (Torso) | Vox (Rib Fracture) | Voro (Surface Burns)
New MercNet Tag Unlocked: "Chimera Bane"Warning: Force-Sensitive Mutation Detected – Status: Unknown | Active Tracking Recommended
Later that night, Kael stood in the hangar, staring at the stars.
He didn't like what he felt.
That creature hadn't just survived the war.
It had remembered something.
And Kael had a terrible feeling it might remember him, too.