Private A Private Showcase

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius wouldn't normally call Himself a nervous or anxious individual. In fact He rather prided Himself on being capable of maintaining His composure and keeping a clear mind in most situations. This was not one of those situations however, apparently. The masked man found Himself pacing back and forth within the confines of the small chamber that served as His quarters whilst onboard the Cacophony. Normally He wouldn't have bothered with having a room on any ship besides the Harbinger but His trips and more importantly His time spent on the Sventove Carrier had been steadily growing as of late.

Only so much of His blood and DNA could be kept on hand at any one time due to its instability and none of the clones had developed enough for theirs to be used as substitutes as of yet, necessitating His presence aboard the Cacophony more often than He'd have liked. Today wasn't a scheduled extraction appointment however, that had been yesterday. Instead Darth Strosius was still on the vessel because for the first time He had reached out to invite someone to it. A very particular someone. Lina Ovmar, His...associate? That word didn't quite fit but it was the only one that He was willing to stick with for the moment.

The masked man, in what He assumed was a fit of delirium after having so much of His blood drawn from the extraction, had sent her a rather short and prompt invitation with the coordinates for the Cacophony's hidden location with the promise of talking about the ring project as well as another endeavor that He wanted her advice on. An invitation that He was caught between dreading and feeling somewhat excited for even now. Before He could talk Himself into sending her an apology message that rescinded the invitation however, an alert beeped on His room's console. Lady Ovmar had arrived within range of the carrier and was being directed towards one of the hangars. "Oh. Chit."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina was absolutely not going to turn down any invitation offered by Lord Strosius, especially one as cryptic as this one had been. Her transport shuddered as it reverted into realspace, the lines fading into stars. Her hands came to settle on the controls as she adjusted the ships angle, bringing the Cacophony into her sight. For a man who had lost a great deal leading up to and following the kaggath, he was surprisingly resourceful. She wondered what else like this he had hidden across the galaxy.

Lina guided the ship to the hangar bay with direction from the Cacophony's crew. Flicking it to autopilot, she rose from the pilots chair, smoothing her robes. Whatever Alisteri had to discuss with her had to be important for it to be hidden all the way out here and if she was beginning to know him like she thought she did, she wagered that extending such an invitation to her wouldn't have come easily to him.

The deep clang of metal on metal and the ships soft groan as it sank onto its landing gears told her it was time, and she lowered the landing ramp. Her movements were trailed by a smoky echo, her face lit by an easy smile, her heart fluttering strangely in her chest. a mix of excitement to see him, and apprehension because for all the figuring out she thought she had done, it was impossible to really know what was going on in his head.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius had made the short distance between the officer's deck and the hangar that Lady Ovmar's vessel made its landing in within the span of a couple minutes, disturbing more than a couple of the crew and technicians along the way as He all but ran past them. The moment that the doors to the hangar slid open to allow Him in however His next step lacked any of the haste that the previous ones had in full.

As He strode to meet His guest at the base of the landing ramp He idly smoothed out His robes from where they had been displaced and ruffled during His travel, soon standing before Lina as composed as ever and offering a bow of His head in greeting. "Lady Ovmar, do forgive the sudden invitation." The masked man, in spite of Himself, spoke with slight caution in His tone. "I...I do hope that I didn't pull you away from anything." His hands clasped together behind His back as a means of straightening His stance up slightly.

"I know my message was rather vague but it's nothing pressing of course." Darth Strosius silently chided Himself for His insistence on offering her an excuse to leave, it was quite rude. And a product of His own nerves which He couldn't help but scold Himself for. "Welcome aboard the Cacophony. It's one of our Wonosan...research and training vessels." Better to rip the proverbial patch off sooner rather than later He supposed. "Out of curiosity, how familiar are you with the arts of cloning?"

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina cocked her head as Strosius seemed to be fumbling. He'd sent her a hasty invitation, yet the matter was not pressing? Had he perhaps changed his mind on inviting her? Her emerald gaze swept over him before coming to rest on his masked visage as she closed the gap between them, Placing a hand on his chest, her mouth opening to utter words to calm the flow coming from him when his question struck her. She froze, the easy smile faded into surprise as she blinked. There were none that knew of her creation, save her parents, so she knew the question was not meant to unsettle her, it was asked in genuine curiosity and need. She blinked again, the smile returning.

"As usual, Alisteri, your hosting capabilities are lacking." she sighed her hand moving from his chest, to his arm, gently turning him and looping her arm through his so he could walk her out of the hangar bay. "You're supposed to welcome you guest, show them around a little and then probe them for knowledge over a drink, perhaps tea, or wine if you'd like them a little looser but its an art form. We'll work on it." she patted his forearm and beginning to walk, simply to get him moving. Once he had momentum she would let him lead.

"You did not tear me from anything, I am happy to spend time in your company, whether it be to talk shop or not. As for cloning..." she let out a soft sigh "I am intimately familiar. Now, this is a research and training vessel hidden in the middle of nowhere, am I safe to deduce that from your incredibly direct line of questioning that you are cloning something?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Darth Strosius found His breath frozen the moment that her hand was placed on His chest, an inhale and exhale deep enough that His shoulders heaved with the motion following it as He steadied His nerves. And did His best not seem too eager as well of course. Her own brief surprise as His unprofessional behavior shifted easily into a bit of chastisement which was admittedly warranted. "I don't get many guests." He muttered indignantly as He allowed Himself to be turned and His arm claimed by Lina with no objection.

He clicked His tongue as they began walking and within the first couple of steps He did start leading the way rather than simply letting her maneuver Him forward. "I'm sure that there is a hidden cache or two of alcohol somewhere around here if that's what you want." He teased in kind, although He did idly wonder if the vessel had any tea that He could treat her to later. If nothing else it would be a nice gesture for dragging her all the way out here to visit.

The masked man did His best not to perk up too much when she assured that she was pleased to spend some time with Him, instead offering a confirming nod to her pertinent question. As well as an almost bitter chuckle. "Cloning something is a rather apt description yes." There was a flash of resigned dread in His tone before He continued on in a more clinical yet far more casual manner. "Yes, these carriers serve primarily as the cloning facilities of our forces. Still in development of course, but securing a reliable and consistent source of manpower has always been a difficulty in my line of work as you might expect."

Their walk carried them to a door at the far end of the hangar, not the one that He had entered through but a separate and more secure one that was locked with a small keypad. "This particular vessel however doesn't make use of the samples and candidates that the wider fleet of its peers does." His gloved fingers hesitated before the keypad for a moment, the subtlest tilt of His masked head towards Lina as though to measure her reaction before He slowly input a code. "The clones here are...specialized."

When the doors did finally part to allow them access Darth Strosius didn't move forward immediately as one might expect, instead fixing the room beyond with a slight incline of His head. The room beyond was a corridor of sorts with glass sides revealing a wall of cloning pods around it, each containing pale and twisted humanoid forms still in the early stages of their development. Some had wings, many sported claws, all of them were some manner of monstrous it seemed.

"These are...my clones."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina chuckled lightly at his teasing, nudging him gently with her shoulder as they walked. As his tone shifted and he began to explainnthe purpose of this and apparently other cloning facilities, Lina listened with rapt attention. Cloning forces was not a new concept, there were instances throughout their history. It was expensive, but it was far easier to ceeate troops already loyal and committed than it was to convert existing fighters.

When he hesitated, Lina met his gaze with curiosity. He hadn't called her here simply to discuss cloning of troops. Her gaze shifted from him to the door as it slid open, her mouth falling open as she let out a small gasp. Her arm slid from his as she stepped forward into the room moving to the glass and scanning each one.

"Oh, look at them." She said breathlessly, eyes roaming over wings and claws alike. "Alisteri, they're beautiful." She looked back at him with a wide smile, before moving to another. "The variations are fascinating, I imagine that has a great deal to do with your sanguine blood and the alterations you've made to yourself over the decades."

Lina lifted a hand to the glass, studying the face of one of them. "Are they empty vessels? Or are you allowing them to grow their own minds?"

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The unmistakably familiar metallic taste of blood, albeit tinged with a distinctive palate of flavor that He'd yet to find elsewhere, entered His notice as Lady Ovmar gasped and left His side. Evidently He'd bitten down on His lip a bit too hard. The wound was healed a breath later of course but Darth Strosius's attention had remained on His guest the entire time regardless. One of His hands was trembling a bit too much for His liking as she scanned over His offspring, the movement halted by His other hand snapping to grab hold of it and press it against His side.

"You...think so?" Darth Strosius blinked in surprise at the remark of the clones' apparent "beauty." He didn't see it. Even as Lady Ovmar looked back at Him and grinned His gaze drifted to one of the tanks and settled on one of the little pale faces within. It serving as a mirror image of what He must have looked like as an infant did little to soothe the twitch in His left eye before He tore His gaze away to regard Lina again. "You'd be correct. Between my Sangnir transformation and my Sithspawn enhancements, these...clones are a fair bit departed from my original form."

He crossed His hands behind His back in order to hide their slight shaking as He stepped up beside Lina and stared at the slumbering clone with a narrowed gaze. "All of these will be fully suitable and sentient beings. We still haven't quite managed to make a..." His mouth suddenly felt rather dry, enough that He had to clear His throat before He continued. "A proper vessel such as mine. Although we are working hard to correct that lack, just in case I find myself in need of a spare body before I'm ready to craft my new form."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

His question of her compliment made her smile. Of course he didn't think so himself, he want to such measures to conceal everything physical about him through shame that he would only see monstrosities. Oh of only he could see through her eyes, even if just for a moment. "Of course I think so." She almost added 'they are a part of you' but his nerves seemed frayed enough already.

Lina tore her gaze from the clone as he stepped up beside her, settling it instead on him as he spoke. He hid his hands behind his back with a tightness that reminded her of when he tried to hide his clawed hands in the nether. She let out a hum frowning at his desire for a new form. "It is possible to alter their DNA in the initial creation, provided you can identify the markers for the traits you don't want. Getting your original form might be difficult considering how much you have changed but you could at least fashion them how you like."

She looked back at the sleeping clone. "It's how I was made." She said softly, her hand looping once more through his arm.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Her assurance drew a small hum from the masked man, a thoughtful one rather than one tinged with any proper emotion, but He chose not to make any real comment. Frankly He wasn't certain what He should say in response to that. Nor was He certain what He should make of the frown that adorned her features before she responded. Darth Strosius briefly met her gaze before swiftly tearing His back to regard the clone pod, nodding with her assessment.

"Easier said than done I'm afraid. The ones you see the before you are the only viable ones we've been able to produce thus far, we're still working out how best to...replicate me." His masked gaze did finally fully snap towards Lady Ovmar when she mentioned that she was apparently a clone of some sort, His hand moving to rest on hers as she looped their arms together. "Forgive me, I hadn't known. I don't mean to trouble you with such topics."

The coil settled in His core whenever He thought of His offspring wound ever tighter for a moment. Lina was no mere vat grown soldier or replacement as He wished to make, as the clones were intended to be. Was He maligning His clones? Denying them their rightful chance to grow into their own people? A heavy sigh left Him and for a moment He allowed Himself to lean against Lina in order to steady Himself, but just for a moment. Any longer and He feared that He might never pull away.

"...I've named this one Tulak."

Lina Ovmar