Came to Atrisia in: Castle Morpheus (
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/129671-castle-morpheus-the-leviathan-tantive/#entry1788101)
In the process of finishing: Vera Mina (
http://starwarsrp.net/topic/129765-saotome-biot-vera-mina/)
Wearing: Progenitor's Robes
Armed with: Hundred-Handed Giant, Progenitor's Sword, Rage...
Nine had spent weeks laboriously acquiring the research, and the materials. The documents that would allow this foul creation of hers to walk without drawing attention around the galaxy. So many people migrated from the outer rim to find better lives on richer, more hospitable and well connected worlds that the one created for what she had made would not raise eyebrows. It was impossible to keep detailed accounts and records of every migrant.
It felt strange, to be back here, with her children. So very very strange. Beyond the Knights, and the inhabitants of the Stasis Chambers, Nine had free run of a very empty, very quiet vessel. It did raise her mood considerably, being able to work with better resources. Her swords could certainly be fixed much easier.
And Nine didn't feel lonely. With creeping unease, she began to suspect her children filled a...gap...
The bedchambers were as opulent as she remembered, and for at least an hour a day, she dared to forget that it was all to protect a parasite.
She dared much, recently...
Like coming back to Atrisia. That's why she needed the biot online today. A lawyer would be necessary for her if she planned to make anchor on Atrisia once more. She needed connections set up, needed a ton of things if she was going to come here and try and rebuild.
Atrisia was in danger. She'd been so messed up with the future-shock, horrified at all the lethal new creatures, ships, weapons, and warriors of this era that she had not yet learned of a greater horror still until recently.
Atrisia bordered the space of The First Order.
The same people who'd gone and torched Coruscant were right on her home's doorstep.
After a loud, resounding string of curses she had let out after learning this, Nine had booked it for her homeworld. Because Atrisia
Forever.
It had been ruled by a One Sith on top of that, Nine felt the dark stain that whatever wretched act that had called him to the grave even from Orbit, but faintly. It was that strong. But she could worry about that later. She had come in time for a festival. An old one, one that honored the stars, the stars she still felt shame gazing at.
She looked down on the laboratory medical table, watching the Biot compile its programming, its heavily modified Ooglith that would serve as its skin, clouded over in a milky gray color, not yet finished. She could see parts of the heavily modified musculature underneath, the small programming wire delicately implanted in the back of the head, making final preperations and checks before activation. Once activated, it would not shut down unless it ran out of nutrient, almost ashamed of the work of twisted, yet grand accomplishment. But with all the other nightmares people were accustomed to being next to (And in many cases, actively utilizing) Nine felt it was only fair if she had a card up her sleeve as well. So she had created a more subtle and sneaky nightmare. And given it a name. It was supposed to be very mean when needed. So Nine, in a moment of
clearly lacking creativity, had simply decided to name it
Vera Mina.
The Castle Morpheus Laboratory was fairly large, filled with modern, Confederacy tech, glistening new computers, the wealth of knowledge this era had filling its space where practical. (This era even had advanced nanotech when that had mostly been just a pipe dream in her time, though she had yet to see what she could do with it. It was enough just figuring out how to modify the masquer), and most of the modifications made to its brain had been made here. Getting the hueristic processors had been a pain...the tech had been so difficult to integrate, she'd had to take the processors out and modify three times to avoid causing damage to the biot proper.
But it was done. It was finally
ready.
Nine glided around it, the nearby computers flickering as it made final checks to the system. The Masquer was a complete milky white over the biot, starting to mimic hair as tiny, rapidly sprouting strands. Her knights surrounded her, eager to get a look at the murderous creation.
Five seconds. Four. Three...
Two...
There was a hard boot-up sound from the computers and the Masquer shivered, flexed around the biot as the programmed form Nine had laboriously created for it shifted and colored itself into place. The knights shifted a step closer, watching the strange tech their mother had put together.
The Primary form was a middle aged woman with dark hair, red lips, beige skinned, and curvy physique. A deception. It was actually an extremely deadly organic assassin droid that just happened to be programmed to represent her in court. She hadn't given it a conscience. Too inconvenient for her purposes in regards to it. Plus, it was her first experience working with the new tech of the era. She didn't want complications. This creature, this beautiful, deadly creature, must be a being of singular drive--hers. And its loyalty, a fanatical and unwavering sense of it, would be to her and her interests, and by extension, that of her children.
Nine had programmed the prototype solely with attractive forms. Meant to lower the guard of the unwary. Its personality would blend in as well, though she knew, given it was her first attempt at creating something so staggeringly complex with the tech of this era, that its persona of a seemingly charming lawyer and philanthropist would not be able to hold up under scrutiny indefinitely. But it would hold up enough for the time she planned to keep it out in the open. Her knights of course were there in case something went wrong and it needed to be destroyed.
As the Masquer finished creating its surface, the computers signalled the process was complete. Nine removed the programming wire from the back of its head, and the Biot's eyes, a wet brown, opened.
"It's
alive." Nine hissed.
The biot shifted its head towards her. There was no smile, it rose from the table, naked, and stood up. The twenty other knights took a step back. It cocked its head to one side as it stared up at her.
"Biot." She addressed it coldly, for she knew it was no friend, despite being utterly under her control. "What is your primary purpose?"
The biot stared at her for a moment before giving a faint, arrogant smile that crept up its lips.
"Ah...an easy one..." Vera Mina spoke in her delicate, lighter contralto of a voice. "Did you spend all night thinking that one up? Or was that meant to be serious?" she asked in a condescending manner but unfailingly polite manner.
The Arch Psy-Pire glided noiselessly towards the naked figure.
"Your. Purpose." her deep voice repeated to her creation.
Vera sighed.
"To serve as your legal council, my liege and to protect what I am sure is 'important' to you. By any means necessary."
"Your designation, Biot. And your cover identity. Now."
"Vera Mina. A lawyer who moved from the outer rim to personally work for a Knight Obsidian of..." the biot chuckled dismissively as it said the next part
"
low renown" she said in a manner too polite sounding to be considered scathing, but not enough that its master would not detect the unmistakable insult.
"And, when possible...philanthropist..." she finished pleasantly, the smirk a decidedly cruel one. "Unfortunately you did not give me the autonomy to go killing of my own desire, so the kill order always falls with you.
A waste of talent, certainly."
"Your opinion of my programming--"
"
--Sloppy," Vera interrupted.
"--is
irrelevant." Nine replied with a dark growl.
"But of course, my Liege." Vera replied without a beat, not losing that smirk. "I am, after all, as you wished. Without the burdens that come with humanity."
"Mother, I'm creeped out by this thing." one of the female knights spoke up worriedly, making Nine inwardly cringe at the title. The Biot's illegal emotion analysis software detected the subtle reaction it's creator had, and quickly deduced its creator was ashamed of the title. But as the Biot was programmed to protect her and her interests, it was prevented from commenting on the fact.
"Now now, my child, this creation of mine is simply a better mouse trap. A sword to ward away my enemies. And swords have no conscience. Only their wielder does. Admittedly, even I'm a little creeped out by our dear Vera. But, an illegal assassin droid is an illegal assassin droid. No matter what it happens to be made out of. The Biot follows my orders. And you are to follow its orders should I be incapacitated."
The Knights stirred at this. "Why?" one of the men questioned.
"Because, my children...great changes are coming. Fate has brought us back to our 'true' soil. Circumstance demands we act. Atrisia needs those willing to make unpalatable decisions."
Nine turned back to stare at the biot, who still maintained that pleasant, irritating smirk.
"And resort to questionable weapons that would have appalled me in the past, but now, given the threats Atrisia faces, now look perfectly reasonable to me. We will all need daggers up our sleeves. Vera Mina is mine for the days ahead. And by extension, yours. And besides, we need a face. A public face. One answerable solely to us. As is only proper." Nine finished, hands folded behind her back as she glided behind Vera, placing her hands on the Biot's shoulders.
"My children, this is a day to rejoice! We have achieved the ultimate legal dream...
an excellent lawyer you don't have to pay at all!
The knights all stared at one another.
"That is
very hard to dispute, I gotta admit." one of the women said.
"By your command, my Liege." Vera spoke delicately. "My first instructions?"
Nine turned to one of the knights standing by. "Bobbi!" she called out, holding her arms out.
Bobbi tossed her a plastic bag. She opened it up. It was a tailor made white leather dress, shoes, and other necessary undergarments to sell the illusion.
"These are yours." Nine told Vera, tossing the bag to her.
"So does creating me make you a mad scientist, my Liege?" Vera asked snidely as she dressed in front of them.
"No more than it makes you cobbled together junk."
"Ooo,
touchy..." Vera mocked in an acidic manner.
"Why'd you make her so rude to you, Mother?" another female knight asked.
"So I don't forget what she is." Nine answered without thinking. "You will accompany me to the surface, Vera."
"Will I be killing something? I'd like my first kill to be by fire axe, if my Liege would so generously permit."
"No. No killing. Not now, anyway. But check your bag."
The Biot looked intrigued as it pulled out a recreation Seperatist Combat Pistol. It came with a white mag-clip holster for the belt of her dress.
"Thank you my Liege. My first kill shall be in your honor."
"You will do
no such thing, Biot." Nine warned.
Vera looked unimpressed. "Prude..." the biot said under its breath, but followed as Nine glided from the laboratory, its white heels clicking precisely on the floor.
Later on.
Castle Morpheus had been given permission to approach, as, despite its
deeply unsettling shape as it glided through the black in between stars, it was not a warship, and had only defensive capabilities. Vera had also wisely advised diplomatic status to be claimed. She
was here to help the Atrisians after all, and being in a group under the personal command of Darth Metus, even though she was of low rank in the group, was still meaningful.
The massive, dark vessel, ancient even in her young days, had once been an obscured, strangely built Fortress that had perplexed people who had known of its hiding place on a lonely, foggy moor south of what had once been Jar-Kai, and had been avoided as an evil omen by the ignorant. They had not been without their point, these ignorant men and women however: The previous version of Castle Morpheus's lab had produced the energy-vampire creating bacteria that had threatened to doom Atrisia millenia ago with an outbreak that could only hope to be contained if it was caught early enough. She had caught it early enough alright. And then Darth Shojo had delivered her the fate she had feared ever since the incident that had originally destroyed House Li-Ves. And worse, whatever had been left of [member="Sawa Ike"], the real Sawa, buried by the blood and the madness of power of Shojo, had intended it as a mercy kill. Ni-Ne would have shown Sawa mercy. But that painkiller overdose had killed only the Jedi Consular, and the parasite had been left with the Consular's pain. And a swelling, hidden rage at all that had happened to that Consular.
Nine had drank Shojo's memories of Ni-Ne, removed those happy thoughts, greedily sucking the corpse of Sawa's heart out through her head, drinking the happy stuff, the subtle stuff, the stuff Sawa would not even realise was important until it was. Gaps. She had created gaps. But they had filled. Time heals all wounds. Even the ones of those who deserve it least. And Nine did not hesitate to apply that to herself as much as Shojo. Even if she would rather cut her hand off than admit it to the Sith out loud. She had not been without agency in her downfall, much though she was loath to admit it. Nobody had forced her to piss off her ex by sneaking into the Necropolis, blatantly stealing the Sith Lord's blood to get into this Force-Damned vessel with all the subtlety of a
quacking duck. And nobody had forced her to cold-cock Darth Shojo. (but
damn had it felt good.)
Nobody forced her to pick up a lightsaber and spit in the face of The Dark Side. That had been her choice. Just like it had been her choice to steal Darth Shojo's blood. Simple pride and spite kept her from admitting this however. And wrath. A ton of it.
Ten of her Knights had accompanied her to the surface along with Vera in her Saotome Envoy, dubbed "Left Hand" by Nine. Vera had been supplied with biot nutrient to last a while. But she still brought extra, just in case. Vera had considerable nutritional requirements as a result of such extensive, experimental, highly illegal modifications.
Atrisia had that beauty still, but it was a marred beauty, defamed by the rule of a One-Sith who, in the darker moments of Nine's cynicism, probably wasn't too different from what ancient Atrisia had been used to, differing only in the nature of his power and the ultimate source of his authority. Nine paused, only faintly recognizing the modern version of the star festival. She knew the millenia had changed her people, but to actually see what they had gone through what they still had yet to endure...to see them celebrating...it almost brought a tear to her eye. But Nine had very few tears left to spare. Nine had to think the long game as she stepped off the ship, flanked by her warriors and her lawyer. Night-time Atrisia. Her time. She pulled down her hood as she stared at the festivals at the distance, noting the green and gold of Clan Yokuni (Of [member="Togashi Yokuni"]) still lived. The deep bloody red of the Li-Ves had long since ceased. But another color would serve in its place. The blood of the Arch Psy-Pire would be their colors.
Nine, proceeded through the street, her disturbing obsidian eyes with a strange purple glow to their center flicking left and right as she moved swiftly, fingers flexing, head twitching as a bird. Her hands went forward in a crooked, grasping position. Prey was everywhere.
"It must be like an all-you-can-eat buffet, my Liege." Vera spoke mockingly.
"Don't say that."
"What?"
"Buffet. I hate that word." Nine spoke earnestly. A buffet meant food. One more thing, the main thing that actually had threatened to drive her insane at one point, was the fact she could no longer eat. But the phantom hunger from a useless stomach remained.
"Vera, I made certain to have Atrisia's legal system available to you. What can you tell me?"
"Currently in a state of flux after the death of the One-Sith Mythos. The laws he enacted are currently under appeal in multiple court systems and all relevant governing bodies. It will likely be months before the traces of the One-Sith are gone from the legal system. It will be years, likely, before all elements of One-Sith influence are purged from relevant cultural spheres. That last bit is supposition on my part, however." Vera answered calmly, disinterested in what it viewed as the celebration of pathetic insects doomed for oblivion anyway, in spite of it all.
"So the provinces basically have their heads up their ion engines.
Real useful, Vera.
Stunning work, just
stunning."
"Prince [member="Shoma Ike"] rules Atrisia."
Nine wheeled on the Biot in fury. "
What?" she growled, placing emphasis on the T-sound at the end of the sentence. Matsu Ike's Sasori Research aside (Matsu being a Jedi helped immensely in Nine's decision to start purchasing products from her), nearly anything involving the name 'Ike' in it threatened to send Nine into a violent rage. Especially if it was accompanied by the name
Sawa in front of it.
"Of all the times I could use a drink..."
"Plenty around here to feed you with. I'd pick something plump. It'll be pleasant to hear it squeal as you take a bite." Vera said acidly, the reflected light of night time fireworks glinting off unfeeling eyes.
"One thing at a time." Nine spoke. "Well...damned if you do...and Atrisia is damned if you don't."
"I dunno, all these fleshy sacks around us could use a good crushing tyranny.
Gets rid of more of them." Vera spoke with that same unfeeling gaze, but not losing her polite tone. "I'd really wish you'd let me
skin one of them..."
"No killing."
Vera shrugged. "Pity."
The cadre of vampires went through the streets through the celebration, Nine keeping an eye on Vera, who seemed to have no trouble so far.
It was not long before Nine sensed her. Sensed Sawa. But this was not the time. Nor was it the place.
Nine found herself being pulled to that direction anyway. Out of anger more than anything. Shoma could wait. She wanted to see what that conniving witch was up to.
"My Liege, is something the matter?" Vera asked, brushing past. "Did you spot a shiny coin, or something else equally as whimsical?"
"
She is here."
Vera's next words stopped her before she could go any further.
"I'll be delighted to defend you in Atrisian Court from all the charges of collateral damage."
The Vampire turned to Vera. She stared at her creation a moment before heading through the streets on her original path to the Palace. It took another forty minutes before she arrived at its outskirts, beheld its magnificent beauty with a quiet awe, and told the guard at the gate she came as a diplomat requesting permission to see the prince. The guard sent in the request through his com-link to send it to his superiors, who would no doubt inform him of a diplomat awaiting entry.
