[8B - T12 - Ylesia - AE] Director Vorne's Drill

“We need more power!”

Yes, indeed, Mya Vorne thought. The call had come from the black-helmeted gunnery sergeant up on the drill deck — encouraging the engineers to wring more performance from the generators. But really, the drive for more power was at the heart of this expedition, and the new Empire it served.

Mya turned to inspect the impressive excavator rig she commanded. Originally built for light-duty mining and constructing the old Empire’s underground fortresses, it was now a perfect tool for unearthing buried secrets. Four heavy-duty crawler tracks let it work in rugged environments, and the towering laser drill could bore through any rock or vault. Right now it was burning a hole into the dark sands of Ylesia, reaching for the vault that should be right beneath them. Gun mounts kept any unwanted onlookers away, and two lifter-walkers could be deployed for recovering the haul.

And yet, a shadow of the capability we once wielded, she reflected. Although her contingent were skilled and loyal, they were few in number. Mya wore a white cape and the rank insignia of a vice-admiral, holdovers from a decade prior when she had been Director Mya Vorne, of the secretive Artifacts Division within COMPNOR. She had once commanded a small army of specialised researchers, advanced machinery, and elite troopers and infiltrators. From their headquarters on Wayland, their reach had spanned the galaxy — tracing, buying (sometimes) and seizing (often) artifacts of value to the Empire for propaganda or science. An immense golden seashell revered by the Quarren. Armour woven from the silk of Atollon’s spider-like krykna, impervious even to turbolaser fire. An impossibly intricate manuscript that commanded religious devotion from a hundred worlds along the Hydian Way. More than a few lightsabers. And once, a career highlight: a Sith holocron pursued at the Emperor’s personal request. She revelled at the memory of presenting it to Lord Vader. The knowledge and power embedded in those artifacts could uphold or shatter a civilisation.

Which is why we must find this sordid Hutt’s vault, she thought, and unlock what’s inside. Who else could? No one. The New Republic would be bound in red tape — probably they’d box everything up in some warehouse and let it fade from memory. And in the hands of a filthy pirate or money-grubbing corporation, it would just become a trinket, never studied and put to its utmost use. Only the Ashlon Empire had the means and the courage to use these ancient artifacts to help civilisation reach its destiny. There was so much more power to be had - for the Empire, and for herself.