Chaotic Anomalies

[Scherezade deWinter]

Her heart was pounding. It had been over a week now since she'd been restored to her own body, and yet still, other than those who had been involved in the process of making it happen, none knew that the woman who showed up practically everywhere as Pathfinder Madalena Antares was in fact, not. Through Republic space and a handful of missions that would've by all rights left anyone else exhausted, Scherezade deWinter was widely awake.


Things had changed while she'd been gone. Not that it was a surprise, since you couldn't be gone for the better part of eight or nine months and expect things to have remained the same upon your return. And yet there had been one change that had put a huge dent in her plans; during Scherezade's absence, the Minister of Science had been swapped. The previous one, a Sith-eaten man by the name of Xenro, was no longer present, nor could Scherezade locate any hints of where he might have gone to. The new Minister, a woman by the name of Rachae, was not scheduled to be at the actual Ministry for some time to come.

Which meant that Scherezade needed help. But who? And how? She had conversed to great lengths with Madalena, who seemed to put her entire trust in the man who led the Knights Obsidian – a man named [member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]. Scherezade knew who he was since she knew who was who in most places of the Confederacy, though she'd never actually interacted with him, and was certain that prior to Madalena's enlisting into the Knights Obsidian, something that had happened because she had designed it to happen, the man had never seen her either.

And with a cruel twist of fates, the love that had blossomed between this Cardinal and Madalena, it had almost killed Scherezade. She had told Josh that if she as Madalena were to find love, that he ought to destroy the only means of bringing Scherezade back. It was nothing but pure luck that Madalena had kept her love story to herself, not telling a single soul beyond Cardinal's niece, Allya.

But now, where Scherezade found herself unable to reach out to the amount of power and connections she and Madalena needed, Cardinal was the only viable option. It could prove to be a lethal mistake, for if he did not keep the secrets she would reveal to him as secrets, Scherezade would be outed. And while she had every intention of coming clean, now was not the time. She wanted Madalena back first; wanted her sister back, for that was what they now were. True sisters.

Clad in civilian clothing, her knives hidden beneath what little fabric there was (and Scherezade made a note to herself that she had to go shopping really soon because she did not feel comfortable dressing as skin tight as Madalena had), Scherezade closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door to Cardinal's flat.

 

[ToKola Bakari]

The past week had been rough for Cardinal. With the Confederacy contributing so much strength and power to war there was a whole new list of worries for the man to deal with. Following Eshan he had intended to name a Knight Commander, to help him with his duties as the Dominus Prime. The selection process alone was agitating but it was not his only worry. Still, he'd done all he set out to do this day so he would set his mantle aside for a night of peace. However, where the Dominus Prime had it's own troubles, Cardinal's mind was focused on another troubling matter. It had been some time since he received that disturbing message from Madalena. How many times had he replayed the message? Hoping to find sense in it. There was no telling. She had, in his own mind, removed herself from his life and he was not sure how or why.

Cardinal's flat was well kept and pristine. The walls were an off-white and most of the home seemed recently cleaned. Although it seemed Cardinal kept the place in fine condition it was pretty easy considering how seldom he was here. Most nights he would fall asleep in his office or travel off-world to check on the Knight’s various battle stations. He couldn't remember the last time he slept in his own bed. Even now, Cardinal lowered himself to a kneeling position in the middle of his living room. All he wore for the evening was a pair of grey sweat pants, his chest was bare and it showed a myriad of scars and marks. Most of which seemed faded and distant, even those which were more recent we're slowly fading into his bronze skin.

He flattened his hands on his thighs, exhaling and drawing the Force within. He could use a few hours of meditation before he got ready the next day's work.

A knock racked over his door and his closed eyes shot open. The sunburnt orbs pierced the door, burning through it with the unseen will of the Force. He could sense the Force-User standing behind the door, a woman. When his eyes rose to look at his clock he could not help but wonder just who would be visiting him at this hour? Who would be visiting him at all? Cardinal stood to his full height, before making his way over to the door. His spear laid in the corner, he considered grabbing it but decided otherwise. When Cardinal came to the door, his face was not one of welcoming. It was questioning and curious, however far from aggressive.

He opened the door to reveal the last person he though to see.

“Madalena?” He blinked, glancing around the open hall before his lips formed the faintest smile. “What happened?” He pulled her into his chest, offering her a warm hug as he wrapped his arms around her. His voice grew lower, happier, but still there was the slightest bit of hesitation in him. “When I got your message I thought you were leaving The Confederacy. I couldn't find you, the device you transmitted from had no signal to track.” He did finally release her, yet he kept her hands in his, arching a brow at the woman. “What is going on?” He could tell much was off, and not entirely things he could comprehend.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

She could hear the steps from within the apartment. Each of them caused the beating of her heart to increase in strength. Perhaps coming here was not a good idea. Perhaps he would take one look at her and send her away, or worse, attempt to break the heart of who he thought was Madalena because she'd had him so worried. Perhaps the moment she told him it was her own heart he would try to stab, a new scar to join the one left there by the Jedi that had tried to kill her on Coruscant nearly a year ago.

Madalena had her own set of experiences. Scherezade had hers. And Scherezade's dictated that when the door opened there would be a look of disgust, or hate, or any other bad thing. And yet when it did, there was… A smile. Another thing that Madalena got that Scherezade did not, although they had both behaved in the same way, although they both did the same thing. Not for the first time, Scherezade found herself jealous of Madalena.

Her face remained frozen as the man pulled her into an embrace. She closed her eyes, trying to pretend it was not him but Gerwald that held her with such worry and relief, even if there was that hint of hesitation in it that had not gone unnoticed.

But whereas that hug would have made Madalena melt, Scherezade felt no such emotions towards the man. He was not in her heart, and she was not in his. It was her sister that belonged there, that should have been with him, that should have been able to explain matters to him. But whereas Madalena walking around in Scherezade's body had somewhat been a conduit to the Space Between Dimensions, Scherezade herself was not. She couldn't bring him there, even if she really wanted to. Fixing this was the only thig she could, the only thing she had to do – if not for her sake, then for that of her sister's. She couldn't let this ruin what Madalena had.

Scherezade looked at Cardinal as he released her, still holding on to her hand. Still holding on to who he thought was Madalena. He loved her. Perhaps in another setting he would not permit himself to show it as much, but here, now, without anyone else watching… And for the briefest of moments, Scherezade almost gave in; almost smiled, almost told him not to worry, almost kissed him, just for the chance to feel something that was mutual, something that did not come with baggage, just for a moment.

But no.

She would not do that. Not to herself, not to Madalena, and not to Cardinal.

Carefully, she pulled her hand back.

"I'm not Madalena," she said quietly, carefully. Was there an easy way to tell this? How many speeches for it had she practiced? They were all gone now from her mind, wiped away, she could not remember a single one of them in the moment of truth. "My name... is Scherezade deWinter. Madalena was… Madalena is, someone else, who walked in my body for months and didn't have the faintest clue about it. But she knew that she loved you, and that you had her heart, and I need your help to bring her back."

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Madalena's hug was warm and welcomed, but it was different. When the woman drew back from him, Cardinal cocked his head that the side. Something was very wrong.

He listened to her words and stepped back, eyeing the woman closely. His sunburnt eyes pierced her form, picking her apart and finding each and every difference. His hand rose, just above the woman's head. She would feel the Force rush around her in a powerful wave. Cardinal drank in the woman's presence in the Force, reading it as if it had been an open book. When he was finally finished he could see this woman was very different from his Madalena, yet the body was certainly the same. His hand came down on her shoulder and he offered her a soft pat before gesturing inside of his flat. “Come in.”

When he moved inside, his hands reached out for a white T-shirt on the counter to his kitchen. Stepping inside, he exhaled as he pulled the shirt on. There was still much that Cardinal did not understand, but for the time being he would learn more from listening

Cardinal poured himself a glass of water and did the same for Scherezade. When he turned back to the woman and set the water on the counter before her, he was still quite obviously taking in what Scherezade had said. Still, his main focus was not hindered or shifted. “Where is Madalena?” He asked, eyeing the woman's body. How so odd that this was not her, it was only the body that the man had grown used to. Even now he wanted to pull her in to him, to see her eyes gaze up at him while he felt her soft skin against his own. The urge was more difficult to resist than he would wish to admit. He leaned against the counter, gazing up at Scherezade before pinching the bridge of his nose. “She said she was leaving and she made it sound like she wasn't coming back. So where is she?” He pressed. There was something in his voice. Concern, or maybe agitation? It was quite obvious the man wanted her back, he wanted his Madalena back.

Cardinal did not know how to feel, how to act. There was worry in him, and even more than that there was anger. Anger bred from fear of losing his tether to the single greatest thing that had happened to him in the past hundred years. The man rose and still his eyes were locked on Scherezade, but his mind and heart rested on Madalena. His Yua, his flower.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Scherezade closed her eyes as Cardinal's hand came above her head. Would he try to pummel her brain in for the words that had come out of her mouth? Would he try to take control of her mind and turn her into Madalena as she had thought she'd done so long ago? But no. He was simply trying to read her, and a shiver visibly ran through her body as she realized she was not going to die. Not yet, anyway.

Walking in, glowing green eyes took the surroundings over. So bare, so… Impersonal. She had not expected this after Madalena's colorful descriptions of Cardinal. She had expected plants and flowers and warm colors. But Scherezade and Madalena saw different things. For the former, Cardinal was a stranger. For the latter, he was her heart.

Water was offered, but despite Scherezade's dry throat, she couldn't bring herself to take a single sip from it. Her glowing gaze moved from the surroundings to the man, and she knew what he was looking at. She could tell his eyes instinctively searched not for her, but for Madalena. Questions came, and Scherezade nodded. Answers had to be given. Explanations. Trying… Trying to seed hope into the man who thought he'd lost his love. Something that no one had ever bothered to do with her. It was a cruel joke of the 'verse, that she had and had to keep on taking care of everyone and everything, and at the end of the day she would still be the one to remain alone, paying the price for other people's joy and happiness.

"When she sent you that message, she thought she was moments away from no longer existing," Scherezade said, her voice still quiet, just barely above a whisper, "by the time she learned that might not be the case, she no longer had a way of contacting you."

Now she took the glass, her fingers wrapping around it. Did she tell him the full story from the first go? Did she give him tidbids so he could try to work the rest out on his own? There were no easy answers. And above all, there was no way for her to know what was best to say to ensure he would give his help. Not for Scherezade – but for Madalena.

"You might wanna sit down," she eventually sighed. He was going to receive the full tale in an abridged version, and then he could decide what to do with it. "I came to the Confederacy a year and some ago. Things were… Bad, to say the least. No matter what I did, I was mocked and looked down on, just barely tolerated, needing to work twice or thrice as hard as anyone else just to receive half the recognition. Every choice I made was wrong and there seemed to be no end to it. I had a woman who adopted me as her sister, and I had a man that I loved and thought loved me too. After the mission on Melida/Daan, I was in quarantine, and the man was supposed to come for me since he'd been on the mission too. He never did.

So I went to Coruscant, intending to use it as a stop before taking off into the Unknown Territories, but I came across a Jedi who recognized me for what I was – a deWinter. He tried to kill me, and left a message written in my blood on the walls of the place it had happened in. I was stabbed in the heart and in the gut, left for dead. The woman and the man found me, healed me, but I was sent into a place called the Darkness, which is an entirely different story. I was in a coma for a week, but my mind was trapped elsewhere and I endured years of torture. Minutes after I came to, they told me that the man had been seeing both me and the woman, and that while I slept they finalized their choice in being with one another. I was entirely alone. I'd come out of the Darkness cracked and breaking, but they delivered the final blow.

I left the Mandragora that night and became a shadow of what I once was. There was no more joy, there was no more happiness, there was nothing. And although I'd become an alcoholic who could neither eat nor sleep, I still showed up for missions. I still did whatever I could for an ounce of appreciation, which I never got. I met the man again months later and he demanded that I go back to the woman, whom I'd since disowned as an adoptive sister, and go apologize her, because apparently I was the one who hurt her in all of this. That conversation was the last pain I could endure, and it made me believe that I had no place in this 'verse, in this galaxy.

So I decided to kill myself. But instead of doing it properly, for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to leave my body behind – give back something good, someone who could be appreciated the way I never was. I thought… I thought I was just creating a persona. Madalena. I don't even know why I chose that name. Someone who performed the way I did, got all the missions done, but was… But was happy. Confident. Someone like me just without… Without the trauma of being me.

And it worked. The day Madalena stepped into your office for the first time – that was hours after I'd cast my blood spell. You know about all the wonderful things she did and that happened to her. She found… She was respected. Appreciated. She had friends. She found love. She found… you."

And Scherezade had nearly destroyed it. She did not want to say those words.

"There were loopholes to the spell. Others decided it was time for me to come back. Few at all thought about what would happen to her. But she was supposed to be something designed, something that I'd made up. None of them knew… None of them knew she'd found love. If they had, they'd have destroyed my old ship, where the blood magic to break the spell was. They thought they would be simply be undoing a mistake of mine.

And then they discovered there was more to it than that. In my attempt to create someone who was me without the trauma, I'd ended up summoning another soul from another dimension. Madalena's memories were tampered because of what I'd attempted to do and she didn't know who she originally was, but… But she wasn't just something I designed. She was real. She'd always been real. And she's from another dimensions, from which I apparently pulled her out of just before it collapsed. I don't know how I managed to do that. I have no idea.

But… This also means she can't go back there. And right now… Right now she's where I was during the months that she was here. She's in the space between dimensions."

Scherezade sighed, only now taking the water. With a few gulps, she'd emptied the entire glass, and set it back down on the counter.

"In that other dimension, Madalena and I were sisters. And we want to be sisters again. Seven hundred years ago, my mother almost died because all her eggs got fertilized at the same time. Four hundred of them were removed from her body and saved in vials. I have one of those vials with me here. And this is where I need your help, because I can't do this one on my own."

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Cardinal cursed softly at Scherezade's words. The thought of never seeing Madalena again was painfully relevant. Even now as Scherezade spoke he wished he could hold his Madalena in his arms. There was closure that she brought him, it quieted the storm, made the dim pain in his chest subside. Scherezade did not do this, and regardless of how she may hold the woman's body, she did not feel like Madalena and that was very distracting. The deWinter began to tell her tale and Cardinal listened intently. Around the time that Scherezade was first joining the Knight's Obsidian Cardinal had been out of touch and knew little of all these events, even when they were occuring close to him. He'd heard of some mess that entangled the Mandragora, but he never cared to ask about it as it was not his business, not then and not now. Still, his expression softened and he could not help but feel sorry for the woman before him.

Even when Cardinal's life was at his lowest, it was his. Only once did he want to end his own existence and join the Force and that was a very different time.

Scherezade spoke of Madalena finding him and that revived the touch of a smile to his lips. However there was still much that confused him. “Why not just leave The Confederacy? Why go to such lengths to be accepted?” It wasn't a suggestion to leave, that is merely what most people would do. The Galaxy was massive and ever growing, there was practically a place for everyone, even a man like Cardinal.

When Scherezade said she had summoned Madalena's soul from another dimension the man fell silent. It was not simple power that would see that done. No. “It must have been the will of The Force, for her to answer your call without you trying.” The man ran a hand through his hair, fingers dancing though the black curls before he could sigh and gesture for the woman to continue.

She referred to Madalena as a sister and that caused Cardinal to clasp his hands together in front of his face as he leaned on the counter. What could this woman want from him? He was powerful in The Force but he was no sorcerer, his knowledge of the Dark magics was minimal and he refused to use much of what he did know. Still, if she had come there must have been a reason and Cardinal would know it. He made his way over to his short spear which rested in the corner of the room. Taking it into his hands he allowed it to rest on his shoulder before making his way back to Scherezade.

“I don't understand this mess, not even a little.” His free hand came up and rested on the woman's shoulder while he offered her a warm smile. “I love her.” He said simply, with an almost amused expression on his face. “And there is nothing that will stop me from bringing her back.” He set the spear on the counter before looking to Scherezade expectantly. “What do you need from me Scherezade?” There was a slight pause before Cardinal realized he had admitting to loving the woman. It was a truth and not one he would hide, but the words were foreign to his lips.

“I've been alive for a long time, but I haven't lived for nearly as long. When I joined The Confederacy I was completely shattered, destroyed. Without my brother I would have ended my own life. It was kindness that saved me. My brother invited me into his family and never once treated me any different. He gave me purpose and duty and for that I'm grateful.” The man took Scherezade's hand and tapped the back of her palm softly. “But these hands gave me life. Madalena reminded me what it was like to be proud of the things that made me different, and to love the things that make me happy. She reminded me that I can smile, be happy, she reminded me I can truly love with my heart.”

“She reminded me of who I am, so please, help my Yua. Only you can do this and I will help you anyway you ask.”

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Why not just leave the Confederacy? It was a good question. Others had asked it before. The problem was that the answer was still unchanged. "I didn't know anything outside of the Confederacy save for the Silver Order, and that's not a place for a Sith," she answered, "I'm not… I didn't get to have a full linear life. I was born before the Gulag, and I was a baby when it hit, little over a year old. My mother placed us inside pebbles so that we would be safe until the danger had passed, but her mother… She wants to kill us all. She stole the pebble that I was in and I spent seven hundred years trapped in the Darkness, aware of every moment that passed. My grandmother then gave the pebble to the woman who adopted me as a sister, but when I came out I was no longer a baby, I had the body of a teenager. And that was the very same day that I joined the Mandragora, joined the Confederacy. When I thought I was designing Madalena… I gave her a full life. Full memories. Of growing up. Of getting to be a child, and a young adult, and all of that."

Was it the Force's will though? Scherezade was not entirely certain she even believed in that. If the Force had a will, what possible reason would it have to make her suffer so much? To make sure that every choice she took was always the wrong one? No. There was no will of the Force involved. She'd just screwed up, yet again. But she wasn't about to challenge Cardinal's claim. It was hard to fight people's beliefs, especially when it was something that would give him an extra push towards helping her and helping Madalena.

Her eyes followed Cardinal as he moved to grab hold of the spear. The hairs on her arms stood to attention, ready in case he should decide to do anything to her with it. But no. He put it back down, and Scherezade let a small breath that she had not realized she'd been holding escape. No fighting. No, not only not fighting – Cardinal said he loved her. Loved Madalena. And that nothing would stop him from bringing her back. Words that she had wanted to hear said about her, but never got to. Her design, despite all her screw ups, had been perfect – while Madalena was loved, Scherezade never could be. It was wrenching, to be both happy for Madalena, and yet feel so broken hearted herself.

Her hands were taken, but no… Those were not her hands he was thinking of. They'd been Madalena's. And then… Scherezade closed her eyes. Words so similar to those Gerwald had spoken of her. Madalena had truly been like Scherezade without the trauma.

Opening her eyes, Scherezade's gaze fixed on Cardinal. If he was expecting any softness there, he would find none. "You're allowed to fall out of love with her as time progresses. You are not under any obligations to love her to the end of your life, though I hope you will. But you ever hurt her, if you ever harm her the way I have been harmed by the man who said such things about me, to me – I will end you. Very slowly, very painfully, and for all eternity."

Taking her hands back to herself, Scherezade sighed.

"I need the influence you have," she said, cutting back to the matter of things, "Xenro is no longer the Minister of Science and I don't know the woman who heads that Ministry now. This package… It contains one of the embryos I mentioned earlier. It needs to get to the cloning vats and the rest of that tech. Accelerated aging, until the body gets to the right age, and then it needs to be stopped. Once there's a ready body, I can perform the Essence Transfer and move Madalena from the space between dimensions into her body."

Looking up at Cardinal again, Scherezade bit her lower lip before adding more. "She might resemble me, but she will probably not really look like me. She'll have her own body. And without my attempts to affect her personality and design, she might behave different. Be someone else. That is a possibility you should be aware of before we start this. But I think… I know, that however she will be, whoever she will be, her love for you will remain as pure and as strong as it is now."

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

When Cardinal looked to Scherezade he couldnt help but frown at her words. It was understandable for someone to fall out of love, but Cardinal decided against those thoughts.

As she spoke the man began to understand the woman's plan. If Madalena was to have her own body it would need to be grown. The cloning facilities at Kamino were some of the best in the Galaxy and if anyone could produce a body for Madalena, it would be them. Still, Cardinal pressed his hand to his chin, running it through his beard for a moment. There was certainly an order of events for things like this, but it could take too long to do this the proper way. The man already had no clue how long it would take to actually grow Madalena's body. Maybe a month, maybe less, he did not know. He tapped his fingers on the counter before nodding at Scherezade. “I can get us in the cloning facilities at Kamino easy enough. From there we can find a scientist to help us.” He said before raising his eyes to a space over Madalena's shoulder.

“Journey.” The man stated, commanding his Shard's attention. The metallic being bent space and light and in the next moment materialized over the woman's shoulder. “I've already ordered your ship to be prepared, I've also dismissed your guard for the evening.” He said, evenly as his optic scanned over the large man.

Journey began to float around the woman beside him with a noticeable sense of agitation. “Scherezade deWinter. When the Dominus and Knight Antares said your name I thought it was familiar. You were on the Knight's Obsidian Roster but then you were somehow removed. The Dominus dismissed it as an administrative error. I do not make errors.” Cardinal's hand reached out, wrapping around the Shard's metallic casing and pulling him towards him. “That's enough Journey. I don't care about your administrative duties right now. There will be a time for that.” Cardinal seemed to toss the Shard to the side but his repulsorlift technology soon took him to the air.

“Brute.” The Shard responded curtly, before drifting back into his unseen cloak of The Force. Cardinal eyed the Shard for a moment before looking to Madalena. “Let's go.” He said before taking his spear into his hand and leading the way out of his flat.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Kamino? Of course. Kamino was under Confederate control now. It had not been when Scherezade was still Scherezade. And Kamino's facilities would be more advanced than what the Confederate had on Geonosis, most likely. Actually… That was an even better plan than the one that she'd had. If she could get a few access codes, she could oversee the process herself as it happened!

Scherezade nodded enthusiastically to Cardinal, smiling for the first time that evening. They were going to give her sister a proper body. The consequences of that… She was not going to think about them now.

But when Journey revealed himself, Scherezade's eyes went wide. Madalena had never mentioned that!

"Impossible," she answered, and then looked at Cardinal. There was still something to cover before they left. "I know you owe me absolutely nothing. I know the only reason you're helping is because of Madalena. But I have to ask you for a favor for myself as well. What Journey says is impossible because I found a way to hack into the Confederate datafiles. There's no mention of me anywhere there; as far as those files are concerned, I never existed, not within the Confederacy and not anywhere outside of it. I have a datachip that will restore the information to how it ought to be. But…"

Scherezade sighed. How was she going to explain it to Cardinal? That she wanted to experience what it was like to be in the Confederacy without constantly being looked down on? That she knew that once she came clean about it, there would likely be no more Confederacy for her, and she would have nowhere to go to because she was barred from her ancestral home planet as well? That she needed time to establish herself before the mocking looks returned? No. He was not here, he was not willing to this, for her. It was for Madalena.

"But I need more time," she said quietly, grabbing her little pckage as she made to follow him outside, "just until Madalena has her own body. Maybe even less time than that. But please… Please don't out me before Madalena is back. This is not a threat. It will be much harder to do if people know I'm me again."

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Cardinal frowned when Scherezade said that she had hacked into the Confederacy's databanks. The information she had changed was not something he could just overlook. He fell silent for a moment as if considering. The woman had broken the law and it was Cardinal's duty to bring her to Justice for her crimes. Still. His mind flashed to his love. She would want him to be considerate, to be lenient. The Dominus Prime clasped his hand over his eyes before muttering something in his mother tongue. It was under his breath but there was no missing the exhausted look on his face. “You sliced into our databanks.” He said, before shaking his head. Why did things have to be so damned difficult?

When she continued, Cardinal was not exactly sure he caught her meaning. He arched a brow while he was closing the door to his flat. “You want to pretend to be Madalena?!” There was some agitation there. In his mind Scherezade had pushed the woman out of her body, however he knew his view was jaded and biased so he did his best not to hold it against Scherezade. He fell silent for another moment.

“I guess it's no business of mind what you do with your body…” he muttered. “Fine. I won't say anything.” He turned back to the woman, crossing his arms over his chest. “And I guess I can forgive you hacking into the Confederate databanks since you're helping Madalena, but don't do it again.” His warning was locked in iron, still he offered the woman a reassuring smile with what appeared to be an amused smirk at the end. “Come on. We have a long trip and I have some holocalls to make.”

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Something inside Scherzade shrank as Cardinal repeated that she'd sliced into the Confederate database. She knew he was not going to like it, but she thought it was better to just be open about everything from the start. Was she wrong? Was he going to turn her in for what she'd done? Was she about to get thrown into the pit? And then when he asked about pretending to be Madalena… He didn't like it. It didn't take a genius to figure that part out.

Scherezade stood frozen as each second felt like a lifetime before he at last said he would not do anything, and she then released a breath she hadn't realized she was even holding. And when he smiled, it was returned, though hers was still edged in anxiety.

And then they were off.

It was hours later. The two were still aboard the ship, and Scherezade opened her eyes, waking up from a short nap. She needed to dream.

When Madalena had slept, she had arrived at the place Scherezade was at, where Scherezade had been standing between her and the Darkness. Now, when Scherezade actually slept, she went to where Madalena was, but the Darkness was far away. It made her wonder if it was simply not interested in Madalena, or whether there was something else behind it. But the two had talked. And Madalena had been so happy that she'd cried.

Scherezade wanted to go tell Cardinal about it. But first, she needed something to drink, and so she made her way to the kitchen, looking for water and cream to pour for herself.

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

The two had left Geonosis behind them. It had not taken long for them to load into Cardinal's starship and set their course for Kamino. They did not talk much during the trip as Scherezade went off to nap. Cardinal stayed awake, sitting in the cockpit alone with his own thoughts. He'd been thinking a lot lately and there never seemed to be a lack of things to muse on. He had something wrapped in his hands that he'd been toying with. It remained firmly clenched in his fist while he pressed his mouth to his knuckles. Was he doing the right thing? Cardinal knew he could not leave Madalena alone, without help and stuck inside of Scherezade, but still this was all so much for him to deal with. In the end, he had already promised not to turn Scherezade in so there was nothing to be done. Better to turn his minds to other things. He glanced back into the hall when the woman passed into the kitchen and he exhaled softly. It was still an odd feeling. He'd grown so used to that woman, yet now he did not know her at all. How could he convince himself that she was no longer the woman he had known? What did that mean?

Cardinal exhaled, tucking the token in his hands back into his pocket before leaning back. He'd brought a boot up to rest on the dash, staring out into Hyperspace.

There was so much that he couldn't understand. “Babo.” He said softly. “Watch over her. Watch them both for me.” The prayer to Cardinal's father was brief and quiet but it held meaning to the man. As his Father was one with the Force, one with the God's themselves, his power to protect these women was more than Cardinal could ever hope to comprehend. Hopefully he was listening.

A blue light flashed over Cardinal's head causing the man to slap his hand on a switch over the dash. “Mad-” he caught himself, cursing softly. “Scherezade. We're here.” The flashing lights of Hyperspace came to an abrupt stop when their ship slammed back into realspace. The blue orb placed before them caused the man to stare silently. He was clutching the controls tightly, still unsure of what all this would bring. The space port authorities ran the ship's codes and quickly sent a duo of Vulture droids to escort The Dominus to the planets surface. As they descended down onto Tipoca city, Cardinal exhaled, holding the controls even tighter. More than he hated the uncertainty of this night, he hated flying.

There were seldom days when it did not rain on Kamino and this was one of them. The cloudy skies rolled and moved with the threat of rain but not a single drop fell. Cardinal would have preferred the rain. They came in to land on one of the main platforms in the center of the city. The platform was relatively empty with only a protocol droids standing near the ramp leading into the city. The blue automaton waved eagerly, before standing as still as stone in waiting for the two. “Ready?” Cardinal asked, powering down the ship. He did not look to Scherezade, his disposition had grown a bit colder, but only because he was shrouded in uncertainty. He rose and led the two out of the ship, where the azure protocol droids was standing, practically on the rear ramp. “Oh! Welcome to Tipoca City, Dominus Prime. We are always excited to greet members of the Order. I am C-180, my master, Doctor Suun-Ti is eager to meet you in her private lab. Please follow me!” The Droid, without hesitation turned on it's heel and made its way inside of the facility. Cardinal glanced over to Scherezade before following the droid inside.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

Standing in the little kitchen, Scherezade could not hear the prayers that Cardinal uttered. She poured herself a tall glass of ice cold cream, and emptied it with a few big gulps. Drinking and eating were till hard for her; the away had not done much to the memories that those things stirred. But she was managing to do it. Step by step.

But she did hear it when he almost called her Madalena. Scherezade sighed. It couldn't be easy for him. And besides, she was going to have to get used to being called Madalena anyway, considering she had intentions of pretending to be her for a few weeks.

And they were there.

Walking to the cockpit, Scherezade held on as Cardinal landed the ship. It was her first time as herself on Kamino, and the waters seemed so intimidating to her. Madalena had told her that Cardinal had taught her how to swim, and still those giant oceans seemed like they would like nothing better than to tsunami up and swallow her whole. She was going to be very happy once their business on the watery planet was concluded and she never had to return there again.

With a nod, the two of them were ready to leave the ship. Scherezade clutched her little package tightly, and nodded again as they made to follow the droid.

The inside of the building was almost enough to hurt her eyes. The bright white walls, floors, and ceilings were not friendly to her, and she wished she'd have thought to bring a pair of sunglasses to deal with it. The Kaminoians saw in ultra violet, so they would never realize how painfully white and bright their rooms were.

Do you think you could grant me some access codes? She asked Cardinal as the two walked, not knowing whether the droid would be recording and forwarding any words spoken out loud, I know more than a little bit about genetics and all that. If I could have access to the systems we could plug her in and get it to start happening. I think it'd be better if this was kept under the table; the more people know about it, the more danger the plan might face.

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

As Cardinal made his way down the hall, followed behind the droid, he glanced over to Scherezade. He did not reply to the woman for a moment andi nstead paused to consider his own words. Perhaps she thought he intended to involve the Kaminoan staff, however he was more than hopeful that would not be necessary. The Kaminoans had plenty of medical and science droids that could be tasked to the group and even better their minds could be wiped. Still the man wish he had known of the woman's ability to work with genetics. As she called into his mind he arched a brow to her curiosly. 'Where did you learn genetics?' This was beginning to get more and more suspicious. Genetics was not just something you picked up, however the man said nothing more as they were led into one of the cloning centers. They were met by an elder Kaminoan who seemed to be clearing her desk of some old paperwork. She stood in front of a number of the cloning vats, and her elongated neck caused for a longer time to pick her head up. "Ah, Dominus Prime. We are honored to service you and The Confederacy. I admit when we received your call we were a bit confused by your request."

"The Confederacy has a need for your technology Doctor, and for the time being this project will remain classified. This is Madalena Antares, if at all possible I would like you to extend access to your facilities to her so she can aid me on this project." The man said, gesturing to the woman to his side. He clasped his hands in front of his waist as the Doctor bowed her long head deeply. "Of course Dominus, I will make the arrangements. As you have requested my private facilities are yours to use. All security and video recording has been deactivated and you may verify that through security. If you are in need of assistance, my research team are only a holocall away and will assist you with whatever you need."

"Thank you, Doctor but I don't think we'll need them. Let them have some time off." The concept quite obvously seemed foreign as the woman blinked at the Dominus before clutching her papers to her chest. "Indeed. If you will excuse me Dominus I must meet with the Viceroy soon." Cardinal bowed his head before glancing over to the protocol droid who remained firmly fastened beside the two. The man crossed his arms over his chest before looking to Madalena. "The Kaminoans are actually very good at keeping secrets from what I hear so if you do need to utilize them, I would. Anyway, what's next?" Cardinal had gotten them into the facilituies and given the woman access, now he was intent on seeing what came next.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

The shift in Cardinal had not gone unnoticed. Scherezade supposed to made sense. All he knew of her was that she was a suicidal Sith who'd been gone for the better part of the last year before she showed up knocking on his door asking for favors. She really had to hand it to him though; he was treating this far better than she had dared hope for or could have even imagined. Something inside of her wished she had met him before she'd cast the spell that had put Madalena in her body. Oh, she knew nothing of the romantic sort would have developed between them, but… But perhaps he would have had the patience to be her friend, back then. Or perhaps she was just fantasizing about the what-ifs.

Just before she released me from the pebble, Scherezade explained, my grandmother imprinted most of her memories onto me. The woman was the Dark Lady of the Sith a long time before the Gulag came around, and she refused to die at any point. There's over five centuries of knowledge and information stored in my mind and I haven't even begun to truly unlock it all. You might have noticed it with Madalena – ever wondered why she picked up new things taught to her so quickly? It wasn't picking up; it was unlocking parts that were stored inside of me. Genetics are part of it; she was a skilled alchemist as well, and used those abilities to abuse many different species that might have otherwise still existed today. I've used that knowledge to build a key to save the Lupine species. It's gone unappreciated.

Remaining quiet, Scherezade listened as Cardinal spoke with the elder Kaminoan, and only nodded when she was introduced. Arrangements had been made, surveillance had been turned off. Again, Scherezade nodded, and quickly enough, the two were left alone. Cardinal said that the Kaminoans were good at keeping secrets, and while Scherezade had no reason to doubt that; she couldn't rely solely on that to keep discretion.

What was next? "Protection," she answered quietly, setting her package down on the counter, and removing a knife from beneath her shorts. "Keep away from the door and walls for a moment," came her order, and down came the knife, slicing across the length of her arm. The blood began to thicken, coming out in big dark droplets. Scherezade winced a little, but said nothing as she walked to the door and let herself bleed on the floor, taking a few steps with every few drops, circling the perimeter. The facilities they were in were large, and it took her more than a few minutes to finish walking around them while bleeding. When she finished doing it, her skin was pale, almost too pale, and she was breathing hard; yet not a complaint was uttered from her as she used her uncut arm to pass over the cut one, healing the sharp cut she had made. Not fully, no; a line remained when she was done, given to her body to heal in its natural time But she was no longer bleeding.

"I am a Blood Hound," she explained as she looked at Cardinal, "blood is my weapon just as much as my knives and swords are. Blood is my protection as much as shields and armor are. The surveillance may have been turned off, but we can be spied on and caught without it as well. The ring of blood should give us a few more layers of protection, specifically against non-tangible threats such as various Force Users. If I did it right, we'll at least have some warning before anyone with malicious intents tries to spy on us."

Now came the actual work.

Scherezade sat herself by the computer terminal, carefully poking a few buttons. Glowing green eyes read every word that popped on the screen. Her movements were slow; in part due to the blood loss, in part because she wasn't a slicer herself, and needed time to read and understand what every option did, including the ones that did not come with instructions in Basic. It was a process, and during it she essentially closed herself off, unhearing anything that Cardinal might have said during that window.

It was over an hour later that she blinked, and turned to look at him, the fatigue clear in her face. She needed rest, she needed water, she needed food, and she didn't have the time for any of those yet. What she wanted particularly was someone she could Force Drain for more energy, but she could hardly ask Cardinal for that, nor were there any low life forms she could steal it from. It would simply have to wait.

"Okay," Scherezade sighed and got up, walking back to the counter to take her page. Long fingers clicked a few buttons, and the silver metallic cylinder opened revealing a little vial inside.

"This is one of my parents' embryos," she explained as she walked over to one of the large tubes, setting the vial inside of it, clicking the buttons needed to close it around it. It was large enough to contain several human adults, and slightly resembled a bacta tank. "The plan is to use the Kamino tech to sort of gravest it, grow it With accelerated growth, we're talking about a few weeks in the best case scenario, a few months in the worst case scenario. I'm going to keep the body unconscious during that entire time. If she opens her eyes on her own, it might be too late, and another soul might end up in there."

Soul was probably not the right word to use, but it could save her a lot of technical explanation.

"So keeping the body unconscious is a first priority," she sighed, "after that, stopping the accelerated growth will be. There's no point to bring her only for her to run out of natural life in a matter of months. Once these two objectives are completed, I could move Madalena's being into the body. There are likely to be a few weeks at least before she learned to properly move and control herself while she is in it, before it starts to feel like her body to her."

Scherezade rubbed her eyes, taking a seat and leaning back in it.

"I don't know how good it is for you to actually watch it. If you remain for the process, you will see the body grow; be a fetus, a toddler, a child, a little girl, and so on. But you also probably don't trust me enough yet to leave this entirely in my hands. The choice is entirely yours. I can't make you stay, I can't make you leave."

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

Cardinal was not sure to say at what Madalena had told him. He thought that his life had been complicated, it seemed Madalena's was equally so. The man exhaled but eventually nodded at the woman's words. Once the Doctor left, Scherezade saw to her own defenses. Her blood spilled onto the ground freely, let open by a blade she had carried. Cardinal did not move, he had seen such blood magic before. While he was still not entirely sure of it all, nothing yet told him to act against her own wishes.

"Is there any reason someone would try to stop you from doing this?" Cardinal asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Sure, he had told plenty of lies to see this through, but it was not likely there was anyone in The Confederacy who would stop them, even if they were found out. It was simply easier to do this away from the prying eyes that could lead to questions and lost time.

When Madalena sat at the terminal, Cardinal leaned down, pressing his fist to the floor and slowly moving to a sitting position. She had lost herself in the terminal and The Dominus' eyes were quickly shut. He fell into a pit of The Force, hoping to mitigate the painful quake that was throbbing through his chest. When finally the woman spoke again his eyes would shoot open and he would look to her with an arched brow.

The mess of events that were to ensue caused the man to clear his throat but still he did not move or say anything until the woman adressed him. The prospect of watching his girlfriend grow from an infant to an adult over the course of a few months was....rather disturbing, but still he had only one answer to give. "I'm staying Scherezade." He said, firmly. Part of it was a sense of responsibility that washed over him, yet another large part of it was he felt wrong to leave the woman here alone with her work. This was not something someone should have to do alone. Cardinal lowered his eyes and sat contemplatively for a moment, reaching out with the Force to the world around him. He was searching for so many answers and they were not coming to him no matter how far he searched.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

A reason someone would try to stop her? She could think of a plethora of them. "The Aeshma," she offered one of them, "my grandmother," she offered another, "a specific group of Jedi, who are not part of the Silvers," came a third, "Mandalorians," came a fourth, "and that's just the potential I know about. I would give more blood if I knew which more specifics to guard against."

Cardinal said he was staying. Another pang of pain and jealousy shot through Scherezade, knowing that there would be no one who would want to do the same for her if the situation was reversed.

Still, she said nothing as she turned around, and pressed that final button.

Inside the tube, machinery began to work. Long metal arms carrying sharp needles, various injections, and all sorts of physical tissues that would be needed. It didn't even look like a human being was constructed. And it wouldn't, Scherezade thought, not for a long time.

"We're going to have to figure a system out," she said quietly as she turned back to him, looking for only a moment before getting up from her seat and joining Cardinal on the floor, "The Dominus Prime can't disappear for so long without a word. And neither can Pathfinder Madalena Antares. I'm thinking, maybe we can stay here for a few days, and then take turns. Until the body is ready, it's mostly guard duty anyway, with need to interfere only if something goes wrong."

And if something went wrong…

"If you're the praying sort, maybe prayer would be good. The only place to get more of these embryos is on a planet far away that I can't go to and have no one to send in my place for. We only get one chance at this in the foreseeable future."

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

For the first time since they had arrived at the planet, Cardinal had an almost grave expression on his face. “No one is going to touch her.” There was a chill there, but he quickly exhaled and allowed the mood to pass.

What Scherezade said was true. The two of them could not always be here, not only would it attract too much time it was irresponsible for him to abandon his order, even for something as important as this. He nodded at what Scherezade said and let his hands rest on his lap. “We can take turns. A few days each so we can both see to our duties I'll be sure you're only tasked with assignments in Confederate space so that you're nearby.” He promised before looking up to the woman with a softer expression. “I'll stay first.” Honestly speaking, Cardinal did not want to stay. There were a number of reasons be would rather remove himself, but he could not abandon these two women.

He closed his eyes, taking to prayer as the woman had suggested. It had been some time since Cardinal had put his faith in the old gods of his village. Perhaps they would watch over Madalena?

“Scherezade.” He said, glancing up at her with a nod off appreciation. “Thank you.” With nothing more to be said his eyes would close and he'd be lost to The Force once again.

{One Week Later}

The last week had been restless. Cardinal had barely slept due to his own worries. He'd tried to bury himself in his work in an attempt to occupy his mind, but it never seemed to work. He'd shared too much time with the woman, the smallest things would cause her to cross his mind. When it was finally his time to return to Kamino, he walked through the white halls with a purposeful stride. It felt as if months had passed, how had it only been a week? Cardinal would savor a good night's rest. Perhaps at least being in the Chambers to protect Madalena would force some of his worries to drift away. The doors parted to the chamber and Cardinal looked to Scherezade, calling out. “Good morning.” He said, holding up a small box under his arms. “I brought you something to eat. I figured you'd want something better than the food they make in the cafeteria.” He offered.

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]

 

[Scherezade deWinter]

It had been a hard week for the both of them. Cardinal had taken first watch, and then Scherezade had taken second. Both Scherezade and Madalena as Scherezade had almost infinite energies, ensuring that when they were on missions, they did a lot of them. There had been no down-time, no time to rest. Even sleep had been invasive. Several times, while dreaming, Scherezade had found Madalena. But it was becoming harder and harder to reach her, as though the space between dimensions was closing off to Scherezade. And what more, when she did find Madalena, Madalena's appearance was changing.

It was only by the end of that week that Scherezade began to realize why. Looking at the baby in the incubator, it was almost the size of a one year old. So nearly two years, shoved into a single week. But the baby did not look like Scherezade; while it was true that everything at that age would change, the first thing she noticed was that the child was darker. Not by much; but where Scherezade and Brayden had been almost pale enough to camouflage with a wall, Madalena was a darker kind. She was beautiful; that had nothing to do with that. But Scherezade couldn't help but wonder if that was an omen that her sister was about to inherit more of her paternal grandfather than some might have garnered for.

And always, with every moment, Scherezade feared. Feared that something would go wrong and the baby would open her eyes and there would be someone else in there, someone who was not Madalena. Another sibling that would arrive with an onslaught of new traumas to bare. It was a horror that she hoped she would not have to face at any point. The thought of more siblings was always a good one to Scherezade, who'd known mostly loneliness in her very short life, but… But not like this. This was supposed to be a body grown and harvested for Madalena.

Every single the time the levels on the screen changed, Scherezade jumped, her eyes so focused on it that she forgot to breathe until spots appeared in front of her eyes. It didn't matter how tired she was, or how much she looked like she needed a shower and decent sleep. None of that mattered until this was complete.

She hadn't even noticed the doors opening and Cardinal walking in until he'd spoken. Her head moved to look at him, almost surprised for a moment as her brain needed a moment to remind her that yes, he was supposed to be her, yes, he'd been supportive all week long, yes, he had a direct interest in this to work as it was meant to. And there was food in his hands.

Scherezade broke into a genuine smile as she exhaled and got up from the uncomfortable chair, stretching out and as the food was offered, she took it gladly. Her hands almost shook as she opened the box.

"Thank you," she whispered before offering the food within to him first.

"I talked to Madalena last night," Scherezade said with a little smile, "she said to tell you again that she loves you. And she's holding on until we're done. Time moves differently where she's at; it will be weeks for us, but months or more for her. But she doesn't mind. Not as long as we're both there when it's finally done."

Looking at the screens, Scherezade sighed, "almost two years in the span of a week," she explained, "at that rate, we need little over two months to finish it. I've been toying with the thought of accelerating it… But I'm not entirely sure, since everything is mostly stable now. The AI promises that he occasional jumps in levels are part of the normal process."

[member="Cardinal Vi'dreya"]

 

[ToKola Bakari]

It was obvious that things were progressing slowly for everyone. Cardinal set the container down on the terminal and opened it to reveal a chicken and rice dish, with a number of steamed vegetables. It was not just the most flavorful meal, but it was certainly better than what had been available up to now. Cardinal poured a bit of the meal into a bowl and held it out to the woman with a smile. “Here, it's pretty spicy dish but I think I did alright.” When Scherezade said she had spoken to Madalena the man allowed a small smile to form over his face. “Is she still ok?” He asked her, curiously. Cardinal wished he could speak to the woman. However it was outside of his ability to speak with the woman while she was pulled from this dimension, so for now Cardinal settled with relaying his messages through Scherezade.

“Well...tell her I miss her.” It was a damning truth, one that never escaped him. He wanted the woman to know his heart, but it was impossible if he could not speak to her himself. Cardinal took a bite of chicken, raising his eyes to gaze at the screen that Scherezade stared at.

“Maybe it's better to leave it alone. If things are progressing well we don't want to risk having to restart.” He took a mouthful of rice before looking down to Scherezade with an arched brow. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey.” He set his bowl down and swallowed the rest of his food. “What about you? How are you?” He looked to the face the woman held and his heart skipped. She was beautiful, every time he looked to Scherezade, he saw the woman he loved. This was becoming more and more difficult. He pulled his hand from her shoulder before gesturing to the terminal. “I-uhm….I just want to make sure you're not overworking yourself. Do you need me to do anything?"

[member="Scherezade deWinter"]