A doctor's appointment

[Credius]

A few days prior

There was not much to be done for Credius, his time was spent mostly on overlooking the majority of the operations at the Eriadu Manufacturing Shipyards and his many political duties as the Viceroy of the entire Eriadu system. From atop one of the platforms with suspension bridges on each corner and various control panels placed on it, the Eriaduan Marquis looked down at the droids and people building another one of the strong Allegiance Class star destroyers which the Eriaduan defense fleet and the Testudo fleet employed regularly. Their lifespan was ending though, as various advancements made within the company's experimental programs validated the design of a successor line to this succesful class of star destroyers.

It all seemed so peaceful, yet also so dull. Ever since he had broken ties politically with the Corporate Protectorate and kept his own information network within the Sith Empire intact, but lessened his own actions within it to a minimum, spending all this time to raise his influence within the Confederation of Independent Systems looked interesting enough. However, during this entire routine check and course of dull, boring duties, KRONOS; his personal hyper intelligent AI floated downwards and opened a small hole within it's smooth golden orb-form, shining a vibrant blue light in front of the Viceroy. "It seems this might interest you, Milord," A mention of some sort of asylum was shown to Credius, the article in question mentioning the guidelines of the facility and what it's foremost desire was in regards to the collection of the 'criminally insane'. "It seems they are looking for people who have an attunement to the force, deeming them criminally insane...in my own opinion, I'd say they're right, this force thing is just a delusion...milord."

"With an arching left eyebrow, Credius glanced at the golden orb floating next to him. "The force itself is not a delusion, you insolent AI...though I can see where they are coming from, with so many worshipping the Force as if it was some all encompassing benevolent god," The man chuckled when looking over the article and the fact that it seemed to have some sketchy contact information for one Dr Jakob Benson Phd, who Credius had never heard of before. "Than again...those that do not wield any connection to the force are less likely to perceive it, let alone understand it either."

With a vicious grin on his face, the Viceroy turned away from the star destroyers being built and walked off of the platform, flanked by four members of the Valkan Guard in his employ. "KRONOS...connect to the main holonet and contact this person for a meeting. I am most interested in his methods and what he seeks to get out of this...fascination of his. If his vision may aid my own, I wouldn't mind...aiding him in his cause."

[member="Jakob Benson"]

 

[Jakob Benson]

Sitting at his desk in his living quarters, Benson made a few notes in one of his files. A dossier lay open, and it was from that that he was deriving his notes. Although he didn't use a datapad like most. Benson preferred pen and paper. They were less likely to be hacked or stolen that way. The Iniquitous Sanitorium was already gaining a name for itself, garnered by the sudden interests of investors and bounty hunters. Of course his sizeable bounties did help with that, which was all a part of the marketing strategy that he had put in place. In many cases, credits talked. And that included in deeming whether or not someone was mentally ill.

Benson's datapad in the drawer of his desk beeped, indicating that he had a message waiting, but he didn't move to check it straight away. No, he was a man of strict schedules and order. It was only when he was finished with his notes and filed them away in his cabinet that he finally pulled out the datapad and looked at the awaiting message.

"Another investor, perhaps?" Benson went over the message once again and sent off a reply, telling [member="Credius Nargath"] 's staff to book passage to the Hoth asteroid belt and to send word once they had arrived for the asylum's most up to date co-ordinates. Given that the asteroids weren't stationary, the asylum was always on the move. That proved a hinderence as well as a great security measure.

One can never be too careful. Especially in this Galaxy.

 

[Credius]

With no open ties nor any enmities with those within the Hoth system, managing to simply buy himself access or smooth talk his way into access wasn't a hard thing to do for the Viceroy of Eriadu. However, probably unlike so many investors, debtors or other people working with money or transactions, in cases like these were a certain modicum of secrecy was necessary, the man did not bring an entire fleet or even a few bodyguards. No, he would come alone, after all, how could one build a bond based upon trust and mutual interest when it would feel forced at the end of a blaster rifle. To be fair though, a man of Credius' caliber was not exactly a helpless prey without any guards in comparison to so many bloated fools that dared to call themselves nobility, the cream of the crop. The Marquis and Viceroy of Eriadu was brought up in the traditional way of his homeworld: a strict upbringing, years of military academy and not to forget, the infamous Trials. Whatever came after was in a sense unimportant, as these formal years of youth had sculpted the man, granted him the vision he saw for himself and strove towards. No man or woman was fit to lead when either their body or mind were weak, both had to be in peak form if one wished to be ready for the task, nay the burden of leadership.

Ofcourse, the Marquis had his...rebellious streak, traveling the galaxy after having discovered his control over the force during one of the Trials, leaving his younger, weaker brother to handle things at home. In the end though, Force or no force, Credius depended not on the metaphysical, but on the physical: the sharpness of mind, the strength of character and the health of one's own physique. It allowed him to greatly overcome the degredation by the darkness within the Force to a bare minimum, allowing for his masking technique to be all the more effective despite the fact that he wasn't an actual expert at it. It was all in th details and after thirty odd years of intense study and training, Credius had literally perfected his image, with only a select few even aware of his raw potential within the force.

As such, after getting the confirmation of the kind doctor [member="Jakob Benson"] , He spared no effort to maintain his own independence. He would not travel with escorts, he would not be ferried on some blasted spaceliner, he would come on his own ship and on his own terms. It was because of this that the man managed to get to the Hoth asteroid belt in his trusted Valkan Dagger Mk II, his sleek stealth interceptor specifically built for only a handful of people and along with him was his KRONOS AI, slumbering within its confines as a floating golden orb within the ship's cabin.

Upon arriving at the designated location, the Viceroy of Eriadu found no sign of the aforementioned asylum and decided to notify the staff of the asylum to patch through the newest coordinates, so he could arrive in time for the appointment, it was after all rude to keep a host waiting.

 

[Jakob Benson]

Once again Benson was pouring over his notes in his living quarters, a hot cup of caf on the desk next to one of the dossiers. Steam rose from it, the ribbons of moisture almost slowly dancing as they faded out of existence into the recycled air. His datapad beeped, indicating that another message had arrived. Still he gave it no urgency while he finished reading the page in front of him.

Minutes later he took himself away from his work and read over the message. A hint of a smile briefly appeared before it vanished. He looked up the asylum's latest location and then sent off a message:

[member="Credius Nargath"],

Welcome to the Hoth asteroid belt. I've attached the co-ordinates of the hanger/processing center to this message. Once you arrive, my police droids will direct you to a designated landing pad and then escort you to the meeting room. I will await you there.

Dr. Benson.

The meeting room was in the same asteroid as the hanger. It's walls were carved out of the asteroid itself. The long table was as well, though it was polished and smooth. Large transparasteel windows on one of the walls allowed in the natural light from the stars in the system. Here it was always night time. There was no change. That was also a decision that Benson made on purpose for his patients. The concept of time would be lost to them. This was his facility and he controlled everything.

 

[Credius]

It was odd, to be waiting for several minutes before finally getting a reply to his call. Credius was not someone who was impatient, but to get not a single response for several minutes while there was an agreed point of time in which he'd be received, the man was slightly frustrated with this lack of punctuality he had expected from this doctor. Luckily, at some point, a respond did come in and a course with coordinates was given. Using the nimbleness of his interceptor to his advantage, the Marquis of Eriadu launched himself through the hundreds of asteroids that formed the infamous Hoth belt. In a way, this location did impress the man quite a bit, as he found it to be both intriguing and wise why someone would put a base of operations in such an ever changing environment.

Upon arrival within the hangar, the Viceroy calmly exited his ship with KRONOS calmly floating behind him. For a moment he let out a sigh and looked at the police droids with a slight grin. It seemed the one in charge of this plain was at the very least a reclusive paranoid person, relying on the location's instability, making use of security droids with no doubt a strict prime directive. The man he'd be meeting would either be quite the obsessive and compulsive controlfreak or someone so scared they'd even fear their own shadow. Those were the only two options Credius could think of, given what he had seen so far, nonetheless neither of those images did despell the very idea that the one he'd meet would be highly intelligent. After all, one wouldn't become a doctor without the brain to back that up.

Allowing the police droids to escort him to the intended meeting room, the Viceroy complied and followed wherever he was directed to go, very keen on meeting this man face to face. The man who called himself a doctor with the intention to cure the mental insanity he believed to be at the root of all those 'worshipping' the force.

[member="Jakob Benson"]

 

[Jakob Benson]

One of the 501-Z Police Droids indicated the arrival of [member="Credius Nargath"] and KRONOS. Even now Benson wasn't certain of the extent of the man's visit, whether it be for investment purposes, to register himself as a patient, or to register someone else. Either way, he was intrigued. Paying a visit to the Hoth system wasn't something that people did on a whim or for fun.

Benson turned as the door opened, a cup of caf in his hand and the transparasteel window as a backdrop. He took note of the floating golden orb that floated next to the man. How interesting. Perhaps that was something that he could look into getting for himself. Was KRONOS for protection, companionship or as an assistant? Benson was quite sure that he'd find out soon enough.

"Welcome to the Iniquitous Sanitorium. I am Dr. Benson. What brings you to my facility?"

 

[Credius]

Finally, when the doors opened, the Viceroy was now face to face with the man he had wished to meet ever since he had read that article: Dr. [member="Jakob Benson"] . For a moment, a faint, very subtle grin appeared onto the man's face, his cold silver eyes glancing towards the policedroids for a moment before seeking to settle himself in a seat if there even was any seat to begin with. He was certain that no intelligent man would try to spur someone who could aid their vision with such aggregious negligence as a host. "Well met, Doctor," The Marquis simply deigned it enough to give the man in charge of the facility a courteous nod. "My name is Credius Nargath, Marquis of House Nargath and Viceroy of the Eriaduan sector."

Credius saw no reason for any secrecy. After all, why would he even need to hide his name or his titles when he was in the presence of someone who he deemed might either become a valuable asset to his own cause or simply a fly to be swatted away at his own leisure. This was a visit with many facets to be explored, many things to be discussed and to be argumented for certain, but nonetheless, it was also a search for knowledge, of insight into the mind of this doctor and his methods. "I've read the article on you, the things you seek to do...purging the desillusion of those who worship the force as if it were in some way deific in nature," The marquis grinned as he calmly gazed into the doctor's eyes, an empty void within his own silver irises. "Let's just say...I am intrigued as to what your motives are, what you seek to discover, to unravel in this process of healing the 'sick'. After all my dear doctor, there is no such thing as a selfless saint within this galaxy, all is done with a reason. So...what does an intelligent man such as yourself seek to find?"

 

[Jakob Benson]

Indeed there were chairs. Quite a few in fact, all dotted around the table. He approached the table once [member="Credius Nargath"] sat himself down. A tray of caf and other refreshments sat on top. Benson sat himself down across from Credius as he introduced himself. Titles, however impressive they may be, were of little importance when it came to the patients. Some people used them to somehow gain different treatment, while others as a ruse to escape altogether. But of course he knew that the man before him wasn't low enough to use those sorts of tactics.

He gave the man a nod and then set his caf to the side while he folded his hands on top of the table. Credius had all of his attention now. Benson listened to his views on the work that he was doing and more importantly, his search in discovering the why.

"Now that is in itself a mystery. I know that some might claim me to be a monster out to destroy them all and thereby threaten millions of lives across the Galaxy." He revealed an amused smile which disappeared rather quickly. "I've even heard of a bounty placed on my own head for such a...misunderstanding. But in reality it is they themselves that pose the real threat." Benson paused for a moment as he calculated his words. Different responses to questions had different effects on different people. So while he didn't know the man, he had to tread carefully. "The Galaxy is in chaos and has been for quite some time. Part of that cause is brought on by this belief in the Force and whose side is the greatest of them all. Greed is another part of it. There are many in the Galaxy that are quite....unstable. I aim to help them regain that stability without any outside distractions." And without oversight. "The less chaos out there, the more the galaxy can move forward instead of being so stagnant."

 

[Credius]

Calmly helping himself to a cup of caf, taking a sip of the piping hot liquid while listening to what the man had to say in retort to his own questions, Credius could only show that same faint smile during the doctor's exposition on the motives behind his work. The fact someone had actually put a bounty on the man's had was rather laughable to the Viceroy's own opinion, not at all uncommon when people felt threatened though, so in some way or another, the doctor's work had to have had some progress or headway. When the doctor was finished, so to was Credius, as he calmly set the cup onto its plate and slightly leaned back to grant himself a more relaxed seating position. "Surely then, I assume you would be both fascinated and intrigued what this force is, no?" Again the man's lips curled up ever so slightly, his tone of voice friendly, yet also rather hollow and perhaps even a bit arrogant. "You see...I believe the force exists, I know so for certain even. However, before you would deign me to be insane or mentally impaired...let me sketch you an image on how I perceive it."

Raising his hand, the Golden orb slowly landed into Credius' palm, the liquid metal slowly opening and revealing a hole out of which a blue light shone upon the table, revealing holographic images to aid in the illustration of the Viceroy's view. "Rather than looking at it as some deity or some mystery guiding our life like many of those halfbaked buffoons do, I simply see it as nothing more than a perfectly explainable phenomenon, something which can be meassured and calculated with simple machinery and electronics," Calmly pointing at the image, it showed a small boy being scraped with a small device, which afterwards displayed a number, irrelevant to the Viceroy's explanation, but nonetheless an image to illustrate where he was going at. "One is able to meassure not only the connection, but also the control to this force. When we are able to meassure and calculate something, it no longer resides in the realm of insanity or divinity, but in the realm of normalcy. However, I do wholly agree on the point of deeming those who would think it controls their lives and actions...insane. So I have a proposition which may benefit the both of us."

Gently pressing the orb upwards, KRONOS shifted the images it displayed, showing several faces and images of people. "I believe chaos isn't a bad thing, at least not when you can control the result coming out of this chaos. Absolute order breeds resentment, resentment breeds anarchy and anarchy leads to chaos. Now...what always comes after chaos...is absolute order. It's a cycle we can't escape, but while you can't escape it you can control it," With a nod towards the golden orb, the KRONOS AI stopped the displayed images when it reached a holographic copy of Dr. [member="Jakob Benson"] 's face. "Mimicking voice analyzer active..."The Galaxy is in chaos and has been for quite some time. Part of that cause is brought on by this belief in the Force and whose side is the greatest of them all. Greed is another part of it. There are many in the Galaxy that are quite....unstable. I aim to help them regain that stability without any outside distractions."

"Greed is not always a bad thing, it simply depends on the person to which the sin applies," Credius smirked as he made that statement, glancing calmly into the doctor's direction. "I want to help you in your endeavours and in return...well, let's say while you wish to desperately cull the chaos, I wish to control it."

 

[Jakob Benson]

Benson was going to respond to [member="Credius Nargath"] about the Force existing. He had that argument prepared already for some of his patients, some of which he showed examples too. Gravity was a force as well, one that can be controlled. And here on these two asteroids, Benson controlled it.

Yet instead he let him carry on and explain his reasoning. And what kind of a Doctor would Benson be if he didn't listen? However he wished that he had brought his pad of paper and pen to jot some notes down.

His attention turned to KRONOS and the holographic images that it put out there. Benson had heard of midichlorian counts during some of his research, yet it wasn't really utilized today. Of course just having some connection to some Force wasn't enough to deem someone insane. Just as there were incredibly insane people that had no such connection at all. The mind was truly a fascinating thing.

However Benson's expression soured slightly as he saw himself projected onto the table. At least this wasn't a patient interview. Benson preferred conversations to be completely confidential. That would be something to be addressed later.

"You raise some...interesting points. While I agree with some of them, there are others that require further study. However I will not let that become a roadblock in the path of progress. So what exactly are you offering? What kind of control is it that you seek that I could help provide?"

 

[Credius]

"Funding, protection, extra locations, storage," The Viceroy smirked, waving at the Golden orb, forcing it to shut down the holographic imaging while it floated back towards Credius. "Your project is ambitious, ambitious enough to garner attention...some of that attention might not be beneficial to your research and study."

Standing up from his chair, the man calmly walked towards one of the police droids, looking at it for a moment before chuckling slightly. "This won't do, you'll need more efficient protection. Doctor [member="Jakob Benson"] , though we may not exactly see eye to eye on everything relating to the force...obviously, I wouldn't want a man who has such intellect as yourself to be wasted or worse yet...dead," The Marquis of Eriadu placed his hand upon KRONOS, turning his hand palm facing upwards as the orb started to change shape, showing a droid design with a large shield and a gatling gun, after that it changed again, showing a more humanoid shape before returning back to its orb state. "I can grant you more safety than you can imagine, I can grant you funding and materials, a secondary location for the off chance someone would actually be able to locate this place without your help. In return...all I need is information. I want to know who you have in here at all times, what they call themselves, be it jedi, sith, night or daysister."

Selfserving was one of the Sith's traits, to always seek things which could benefit oneself. Credius was no different, he was greedy, but just as he had stated before, greed was only bad when it was the sin of the weak, but he wasn't weak, neither of body or mind. It was exactly because of this that he had great interest in this man's work, as it wouldn't only be useful as a point of study, but also a very useful place to both aquire and store samples and with samples, the viceroy ofcourse meant force-sensitive subjects. "The control I desire is simple... As we defied and took control of gravity, as we venture to take control of time...I seek to study and take control of the force. After all, that is in the end what all who study the force, seek to reach...another barrier broken and swept aside for the growth of our society."

 

[Jakob Benson]

Benson gave a bit of a nod, in full agreement that some of the attention that he's gaining; like the bounty for example; was more of a hinderence than anything else. So far his location was a secret, but he'd be a fool if he thought that would last.

He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose as [member="Credius Nargath"] gave him more of an incentive to work with him. "I prefer droids for security and protection. Sane people will hardly fill these halls and droids are less easily manipulated by emotions." The people claiming to use the Force weren't too much of an issue, most especially when they were held in their 'rooms'. Any attempt at harm to him would just return to them 5 fold. It was an ingenius design, and an old one.

"So if I'm understanding correctly, you only wish for the nanes of my patients and what they believe of themselves? I trust that their conversations with me wil be kept confidential? Or is that all dependant on who is housed here?" He leaned back in his chair further. "Everything else you've touched on I can agree to."

 

[Credius]

Credius tilted his head while standing next to one of the droids, smirking slightly when it seemed he and Dr. [member="Jakob Benson"] were seemingly reaching an accord. To the question asked, he calmly nodded. "All I need is their personal information and ofcourse I will provide you with some small extra details I would reqeust you to do while they are within your care, though I doubt these tiny little requests would impede your work in the slightest," Walking back to the table, standing straight in front of the sitting doctor, the viceroy looked down at the doctor, a hint of a red shimmer appearing in his eyes. "After all...we all have our methods to unravel the mysteries around us and to seek the knowledge we thirst for. I do not seek insight in your sessions, merely perhaps a detailed report on their physical and mental health, their names, pictures and ofcourse samples of their voice to compile a database for my own study."

Reaching for his breastpocket, the Viceroy placed a small platinum coated card on the table and slid it towards the good Doctor. The card held the Crest of Nargath Holdings and various contact information. "I'd be happy to send you a platoon of my ZMD_C1's or a squad of ZMD-C2's right away," Reaching out with his hand towards the doctor, the Marquis of Eriadu smiled rather sinisterly. "So dear Dr. Benson, do we have an accord? Shall we start bringing the order you desire by controlling the chaos which surrounds us?"

 

[Jakob Benson]

As long as his work wasn't obstructed, Benson wasn't bothered by whatever the details that [member="Credius Nargath"] might have in mind. Helping his patients was all that mattered. Some may choose to go willingly, while others needed some convincing. Benson wasn't seeking fame or fortune however; it was the work that interested and drove him.

He looked up at the Viceroy as he approached, taking note of the change in his eyes, however he knew logically that some species, including humans, had learned such control over their eyes. For some it was like a parlour trick, while others used it for intimidation. Mostly it was the latter.

"I don't record my sessions, for obvious reasons. Patient/doctor confidentiality of course. But outside of that, something can be arranged."

Benson took the platinum card, givong it a quick read before stashing it in his breast pocket. Then once more he looked to the Viceroy, getting to his feet as took the man's hand in his own, sealing the deal as it were. "Indeed we do have an accord. I do appreciate a man of your callibur taking such an interest in my humble yet very important work. Shall I have a contract drawn up? Or is my word all you need?" No doubt KRONOS was probably recording the entire meeting, and not just that small part of it.

 

[Credius]

"Splendid..." For a moment, the viceroy gave the man a rather inquisitive look when the drawing of a contract was offered. Though he had thought it perhaps best this accord of them would be kept securely under the wraps, perhaps the good doctor may have found more solace in a strict legal document, even though such a paper trail might possible be a nail in their coffin later on. "I'm perfectly fine with a bond of trust on the word of an honourable gentlemen such as yourself, my dear doctor. However, if it should plase and comfort you more to rely on a piece of paper for legal or security reasons, I will not contest the drawing of a contract."

Credius wouldn't move unless [member="Jakob Benson"] saw no immediate need for a contract, after all...he couldn't exactly just have the doctor write something for himself if a contract was to be made.

 

[Jakob Benson]

Benson let go of his hand with a small shake of his head. "Just our word in trust is all that I need. I prefer to keep things discreet, Viceroy, and I see that you share the same sentiment." He regarded [member="Credius Nargath"] with a nod.

Today was indeed a good day. "I expect that patients will be arriving soon. It'll probably be a trickle at first, but then more will come. That's just the way of things in my line of work. However there are a few outpatients that I have that I may coerce into coming here on their own." There were a couple that he had in mind, those that he would have appointments with on other worlds or via the holonet. This was what some would call; the calm before the storm.