The Longhorn ventures deep into the Rift. Aayla Vrei, having combined the hyperspace pods from two droids so the droids can be recovered. The Longhorn navigates the dangers of the Rift, an Ion storm, a dense nebula and a shoal of Khironex. Finally they arrive at the area of space Lorne's vision and the Shard of Kelentar guided him to.
The flotilla is destroyed, a debris field spreads out before them. The find destroyed Jakal fighters, dead Inheritor bodes and floating the floating panel of a tie fighter.
Whilst Jorus scans the debris field to try and work out what happened, Aayla pilots the longhorn deeper into the field.
The crew:
locates a fait trace of what could be life signs (heat) shows up on the scanners. This suggests one of the parts of the flotilla, what looks to be chunk of some sort of makeshift space station made of multiple different craft might contain some survivors.
Part of space frame has a Jakal fighter still attached to it. The Attack must have been sudden and over helming.
What's left of the flotilla has been blasted with concussion missiles, laser and more devastating Turbo laser fire.
What's left of the defensive turrets and shield generators on any of the vessels look like the have been precisely targeted by lasers and explosives. Some parts of the station look as if they were targeted as a priority as well. Not all the damage seems to have been inflicted at the same time. Firstly a precise strike was made then afterwards tactics seem to have shifted to a barrage of attacks without any discretion.
Lots of scattered erratic power readings that could be something but could also just be batteries or other power systems failing in the wreckage.
Aayla and upset Dr Mentzer stay aboard the Longhorn whilst Lorne, Val and Jorus board the station. The zero-g work is not easy for Val and Jorus but they make it to the remains of the flotilla structure with possible life signs and Jorus, drawing on some old memory smoothly cuts a safe secure entry through the hull plaiting.
Inside the structure the PCs come across the wreckage of the Inheritors civilisation lines the inside of the hulk, destroyed art and sculpture made from shared glass. They pass through a hydroponic cultivation chamber destroyed by fire. They see signs of fighting, and pass a dead Stormtrooper with blood red markings daubed on his armour floating in the corridor.
As they make their way through the flotilla structure Lorne and Jorus feel they are being watched and Lorne even sees a shape move down a distant corridor. Lorne and Val suggest there is some sort of creature or droid out there in the dark. Val suggests the erratic power readings could be a droid.
They reach an area of corridor utterly ravaged by fire. Inheritor bodes of mixed races, men, women children have burned alive looking for safety and now float in the corridor little more than blackened skeletons. At the end of the corridor a damaged heavy door is marked with Inheritor markings for safety, Lorne recognises it as a safety shelter.
Jorus fixes the outside access panel and the airlock quickly cycles. Inside the vacsuited crew are created with shard glass spear tips.
An initially tense stand is diffused somewhat by Lorne's powerful presence and instructions to listen to the Elder, as they should.
In the safety shelter are a dozen survivors including Seighas Varusful, a Maruder Warrior who hates outsiders and who brought Lorne's misconduct to light, resulting in his exhile. Also present is Caliliste Chantal a blind Inheritor Elder who sat in judgement at Lorne's exhile. She recognised Lorne's voice and asks to touch his face to prove that it is him. Lorne asks about his family. A young Duros mother, Avier Cyrille, says that when she was separated from her husband (shortly before he was killed) she saw Lorne's family in the area, they where on that part of the flotilla, they are almost certainly dead or captured.
Caliliste explains that the unthinkable has happened, even the deep Rift is no longer safe, somehow the Empire marshalled a fleet, the attack happened quickly and was decisive. The screech of TIEs brough TIE bombers that disabled or destroyed the larger ships, a wing of blood red TIEs ripped through their best pilots and defences. dagger like Corvettes with red markings, war ships more heavily armed than anything the Maruder flotilla possessed destroyed defences. Defenders aboard the flotilla were seemingly targeted by concussion missiles and turbolaser fire in precise attacks, they operated without mercy without leniency, if she didn't know better she would say there where deploying her people's own tactics against them. Afterwards came the second wave, freighters and shuttles deployed boarding parties, the Empire didn't rely on blasters, deploying explosives to overcome any resistance and destroying any protection offered by Inheritor shields. They stunned and captured anyone they could, taken back to the freighters, never to be seen again.
Dr Mentzer comms that the stranger power readings are back and seem to be in the same area of debris as Jorus, Lorne and Val.
The atmosphere in the room is tense. Some of the survivors need medical aid and the air recycler is on its last legs.