The scorched crater still smoked beneath the harsh light of Forge-Hell's twin suns. The mangled remains of the downed recon drone lay twisted, its exposed circuits sparking faintly in the dry wind. Sira crouched beside the wreckage, her gloved hands carefully extracting the core data module.
"This drone was no ordinary scout," she said, her voice steady but low. "Its signal bounced through the upper atmosphere, relaying data to a ground-side station. A hidden relay deep in the volcanic ridges to the east."
Dren folded his arms, brow furrowed. "Volcanic terrain, rough ash rivers, and collapsed lava tubes. The perfect place to hide something… artificial."
Progress of the Clan
Before the mission could begin, Dren stepped onto the command platform of Forge-Hell Base, eyes scanning the holodisplay swirling with data and schematics. It was a far cry from the simple camp they had established weeks ago.
Since the arrival on this hostile world, Clan Vheyla had grown exponentially. The summoning hall—the beating heart of their settlement—had evolved from a crude ritual chamber into a towering spire of beskar and Mandalorian craftsmanship. From it flowed a steady stream of summoned warriors, civilians, and specialists, their numbers swelling from a few thousand to over 15,000 in less than three months.
The population was divided into several distinct groups, each essential for the survival and expansion of the clan. The warrior caste, clad in newly forged beskar armor, trained relentlessly in the barracks. These soldiers honed skills ranging from close-quarters combat with vibroblades and flamethrowers, to marksmanship with the latest repeating blaster rifles. Beside the barracks stood the training grounds, where recruits learned to pilot skiffs and repulsorlift bikes, preparing for the eventual battles that awaited beyond the rocky horizon.
Beyond the martial core, the civilian population managed vital logistics: engineers maintaining power conduits, medics tending to the wounded, and craftsmen forging beskar plates and weapons. Specialized facilities—workshops dedicated to improving armor and weapons—pushed the boundaries of Mandalorian metallurgy, incorporating rare alloys scavenged from the planet's mineral veins.
The research center, still buzzing with arcane energy, was a hub of innovation. Led by a small cadre of scientists and engineers, the facility had already made several breakthroughs: beskar armor reinforced with layered durasteel mesh for enhanced durability; flamethrowers capable of adjustable plasma intensity; and early prototypes of repulsorlift skiffs designed for rapid deployment across rough terrain. Research into drone countermeasures had also begun, a necessary precaution after the recent skirmishes with the droid faction.
Diplomatic channels were another front entirely. Dren himself had engaged with nearby lords—some hostile, others cautious, but all vying for influence and resources. Alliances were fragile and shifting; distrust lingered heavy in every parley. Several contested resource zones, particularly rich mineral deposits and water sources, had sparked clashes. The Mandalorians had lost soldiers, but each battle yielded new intelligence on enemy tactics and technology.
One such skirmish had ended just days prior—a brutal fight over a ruined settlement near the edge of a desert canyon. The Mandalorians' flamethrower squads and sharpshooters had held the line, forcing the opposing faction to retreat. Casualties were mourned, but the clan's resolve only hardened.
Despite the steady growth, Dren knew the true test was yet to come: survival depended not only on strength and technology, but on uncovering the secrets hidden beneath the planet's scorched surface.
Recon and Mobilization
Within hours, a six-man Recon Lance set out, led by Verda Saek — a veteran of countless covert operations, clad in matte black beskar armor that swallowed light. Their task: to locate and destroy this mysterious forward base.
The volcanic ridges were a brutal landscape, jagged and alive with sulfurous heat. Yet beneath the cracked surface, scanners detected faint pulses, unnatural and precise.
"It's underground," Verda whispered, eyes fixed on her HUD. "Cloaked signals. Power readings are dense."
Their path led them into a collapsed lava tunnel. As they crept forward, faint, sterile lights flickered on ahead — white-blue and cold, alien in the cavern's depths.
A massive blast door loomed from beneath centuries of ash and basalt. Verda activated a breaching charge. The door hissed open with a high-pitched groan.
Inside was a chamber of steel and pulsating circuitry. Banks of monitors flickered with strange glyphs—half machine code, half arcane script. Organic tendrils, dark and twisted, clung to the walls, glowing faintly with an eerie crimson hue.
Hovering droids stirred to life, their limbs sleek but ruthless. They attacked with inhuman precision.
"Flank left!" Verda ordered. "Use grav charges on their clusters!"
Explosions lit the chamber in bursts of electric blue. A scout took a grazing wound, but the team pressed forward relentlessly.
After the last droid fell, they moved deeper — to the heart of the base.
Suspended by anti-grav, a central core pulsed crimson. From it extended black tendrils, veins of unknown origin, crawling like living metal along the walls. The air vibrated with dark energy.
Verda's HUD blinked warnings: contamination levels spiked, and a faint but unmistakable energy signature registered on her sensors.
"Dark side residue," Sira murmured over comms. "This is Sith tech — corrupted, but potent."
Etched faintly into the core were ancient Sith glyphs, their meaning lost but their menace clear.
The Mandalorians worked quickly to plant demolition charges.
"Destroy everything," Dren ordered over the commlink. "No trace can remain."
As the core detonated, the cavern erupted in a fiery blast that shook the volcanic ridges to their foundation.
On their way back, Verda held a jagged fragment from the core — a shard glowing faintly red and black.
"Whoever made this is watching," she said quietly. "And waiting."
Dren's gaze darkened. "The Sith have returned. And this is only the beginning."